


Handsome Devil Diaries

by boneboysbicth



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blood, Broken Bones, F/M, Minor Injuries, Near Death Experiences, Possible Character Death, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2020-03-30 23:43:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 39,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19037950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boneboysbicth/pseuds/boneboysbicth
Summary: Reader is the fourth member of Naruto Uzumaki's team, and with the Chunin exams right around the corner, she has a lot of work to do. But, who is this bushy-browed stranger? And why is he so good?This story starts with the Chunin Exams. Changes are really only made to include reader into the story. Let me know what you think, and tell me what you want to see!





	1. Who's This Bushy-Browed Kid?

In the week leading up the to Chunin exam, you found yourself training alongside Sarutobi sensei. While your skills in ninjutsu got you far, the limited exercise of your genjutsu abilities was where you found yourself lacking. Genjutsu drained your chakra, and after only a couple of moves, you were basically useless. That’s where Sarutobi sensei came in.

Unfortunately, you hadn’t had much luck. Throughout the first few days of training, you tried improving your technique, but still ended up exhausted far too quickly. In the short time following, your technique improved only marginally, and the amount of chakra you used up on each move didn’t feel any different. Still, Sarutobi sensei told you that you’d been improving. 

As you walk through the doors to the Chunin exam, you hope she’s right. From what you’ve heard, this exam is going to kick your ass. But, maybe that’s just what you need. The constant fear of falling behind the other Genin usually isn’t enough to push yourself beyond mediocrity, so maybe getting roughed up will do the trick. 

Your three teammates, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke, walk beside you in silence. Behind you is Kakashi sensei, reading a book as he walks along silently. You can feel the tension in the air, and it’s beginning to make you uncomfortable. The rivalry that’s been raging since day one between Sasuke and Naruto has been annoying, to say the least. It’s fine when they’re not at each other’s throats, but eventually, they always end up chomping at the bit to boost their egos. At first, you tried the Sakura method of trying to calm them down, urge them not to fight. But when it became clear to you that didn’t work, you gave up, settling with the method of looking on disapprovingly from a distance. 

Either way, you just knew something was going to happen during this exam, and you dreaded it. Playing peacemaker between your teammates could only last so long. 

Pushing open the door to the second level of the exam building, a group of what you assume to be examinees block the way. The sound of roughhousing up ahead puts you on high alert, and you look over to see some kid in a green jumpsuit being pushed to the ground by a person blocking the exam door. Idle trash-talking took over from the offending presence, followed by a sharp punch to a girl wearing pink. Before you can even react, your teammates are approaching the troublemakers. 

“... However, you will let me through,” you hear Sasuke say. “And immediately undo this barrier created with genjutsu?” 

Genjutsu? Just what was he talking about? 

“What about you, (y/n) ans Sakura?” he asks, his head tilting to your direction. “You should have been the first ones to notice it, with your combined analytical strength and genjutsu know-how.” 

… Huh? 

“Uh… yeah,” you say, playing off the fact that you have no idea what he’s talking about. “I felt it a mile away.”

“You’re going to have to try harder than that to fool us,” Sakura adds. “We’re only on the second floor.” 

She points up to the sign reading “301,” and immediately it changes back to “201.” 

This seems to have hurt the ego of your aggressors. Within seconds, one of the boys standing in front of the door is swinging his leg upward towards Sasuke, and he’s reacting just as fast. 

But in the blink of an eye, the same boy in green who had been knocked down was between them, cutting off each of their attacks in an instant. Sasuke and the bully separate, albeit slowly, and the boy in green relaxes. 

Just who the hell is this kid? One second he’s being pushed around like a rag doll, and the next he’s jumping in the middle of a fight-- not to mention how fast he just moved. If you had blinked, you would have missed him. 

In your dazed confusion, the other members of what you assume is his team approach. 

“Hey, this wasn’t the plan,” a boy with long hair states. “You’re the one who said you didn’t want to attract attention.” 

“But…” the boy in green responds, before turning to you and your teammates. It takes you a moment to recognize that his strangely round eyes are glued to Sakura and not you. You nearly breathe a sigh of relief before you see him quickly approaching, attention unwavering. 

“My name is Rock Lee,” he proclaims loudly. “Your name is Sakura, right?” 

You see Sakura go stiff in front of you, a confused “huh?” escaping her lips. 

The kid in green, who you now know is Rock Lee, raises a bandaged arm to from a thumbs up, accompanied by a wink. The blush adorning his face is almost enough to draw attention away from his large eyebrows and odd hair. 

“Please go out with me!” he practically exclaims, and you have to stop the laugh rising in your throat at his forwardness. “I will protect you with my life!” 

You’re having a very hard time containing your amusement at the situation, and from the side, you can see the expression on Sakura’s face drop. 

“Absolutely...not,” she says, flatly. 

Ouch. 

“Huh?” Lee says. 

The pure look of confusion and pain coming from Lee is like a dagger to the heart. It’s like she just kicked a puppy. 

“Because you’re a weirdo,” Sakura says, and you can feel the waves of dread radiating from Lee. A moment later, he’s sulking against the wall. You send Sakura a disapproving look for her poor handling of such a sensitive situation, and she looks away, her eyes drawn to Sasuke again. 

Her attention is diverted again, however, and soon enough she’s dragging the three of you up to the third floor with her. Once you reach the third floor, your team descends a staircase into a large room with wooden floors and pillars. It’s weird that you don’t see anyone around, seeing as registration for the exam is supposed to start soon. Maybe they’re all already in the testing area? 

“Hey you, with the attitude. Hold on,” a voice states from behind the three of you. Your team lets out a collective “huh?” before turning around to the mystery voice. Looking on from above is none other than Lee, drawing a sign from Naruto and a shriek from Sakura. You can’t help but snicker at her reactions-- she’s always so dramatic. 

“What do you want?” Sasuke asks, in his usual bored tone. 

“I want to fight you right here and right now,” Lee proclaims, standing tall. Sasuke seems amused, if nothing else. 

“You want to fight me here and now, huh?” he asks, antagonizing the boy. 

“Yes,” Lee states simply, jumping over the tall wall and down to our level. “My name is Rock Lee. You said it was common courtesy for a challenger to give his own name first, right, Sasuke Uchiha?”

“So, you know me,” Sasuke states matter-of-factly. 

Lee assumes a crouched fighting stance, staring at your teammate relentlessly. 

“I challenge you,” he declares. “Everyone is always talking about the Uchiha clan and how great they are. I want to see if it is true. I figure you will be a good test for me. And also.”

 

Lee continues, looking directly towards Sakura now. As his eyes reach hers, she lets out another shocked yell. A heavy blush settles onto Lee’s cheeks. 

“Oh Sakura, I love you!” Lee confesses. 

The resulting scream from Sakura was enough to make you roll laughing, but you hold it back for the sake of not being mean. 

“Those eyebrows can’t be real, noooooo,” Sakura starts, exasperatedly. “Your hairstyle is horrible too. And those eyebrows are so bushy. You’re such a weirdo!” 

You feel another pang in your heart at her harsh words, but Lee seems unphased. 

“You are an angel sent from heaven,” he says proudly, blowing a kiss in her direction. Unfortunately, that also meant he was sending one in your direction as you stood right behind her. The tangible heart being blown your direction is dodged clumsily by Sakura, and you simply couch down to avoid the blow. 

As the kiss hit the wall behind you, Lee is conjuring up his next love attack. 

“That was a good move, but let us see you dodge this,” Lee says, letting out an audible “mwah” with each kiss he blows. As the hearts race toward her, Sakura breaks into another fit of screams and clumsy dodges, and you simply move out of the line of fire this time. 

“That was too close,” Sakura murmurs to herself, pulling a chuckle out of you. “Hey, keep your creepy little valentines to yourself, I was dodging for my life there!” 

Immediately, Lee deflates a little, the usual proudness gone from his tone. 

“You do not have to be so negative, Sakura,” he states with a final glance at the girl before his attention is pulled back to his opponent once more. 

That… was kind of harsh, huh? Sure, he was pretty forward with his undying love and he looks kind of strange, but…

Okay, maybe he did have it coming to him. She still could have been a little nicer, though. 

“Geez Sakura, that was kind of… ruthless, huh?” you say to her quietly, shooting Lee a sympathetic look as he passionately conversed with Sasuke. 

“What? What was I supposed to say?!” she asks indignantly, looking at you expectantly. 

You let out a small chuckle, and reach a hand up to nervously scratch behind your neck. 

“I don’t know, anything but all that,” you say with a breathy laugh. “Anyway, looks like they’re going to go at it. Maybe we should move out of the way?” 

The following fight was incredibly eventful, if you’re being honest. Watching Naruto and Sasuke get the snot beat out of them by a kid they obviously underestimated was both entertaining and painful to watch, but it left you utterly enamored by the power Lee held. He may not look it, but the kid has a fighting spirit and an incredible talent. 

You’re just gushing now, aren’t you? Either way, it was cool.

Well, that is, until it was interrupted by a talking turtle. 

A now-waking Naruto exchanges a confused look with you from across the room, and soon you’re both approaching Sasuke and Sakura to see if they’re seeing the same thing. That turtle can’t possible by his sensei, right? 

Turns out, he’s not. A puff of smoke reveals a very familiar looking man in a green jumpsuit-- he looks like he could be Lee’s father. He’s got the same hair and everything. 

“So that’s where Lee gets it from,” Naruto surmises. “Same soup bowl haircut and even bushier eyebrows!” 

This seemed to strike a nerve with the taijutsu genin. 

“Hey! Do not insult Guy sensei,” Lee begins aggressively, his fist clenched in front of him. “He is one of the greatest men in the entire world!” 

Without skipping a beat, Naruto is firing right back. 

“Well, excuse me for not noting his greatness, I was too busy watching him crawl out from underneath a turtle!” 

“He did not crawl out-” Lee starts, only to be cut off by who is presumably Guy sensei. 

“Give it a rest, Lee,” he instructs, and is met with immediate obedience from his pupil. “Now, for your punishment.” 

Guy sensei rears back with a yell, and hits Lee with a powerful blow to his left cheek. 

Like your teammates, you can’t help the startled yell that escapes your lips. 

A now sprawled-out Lee graces the floor, with Guy sensei quickly approaching. Getting down to one knee, he addresses his student apologetically. 

“I’m sorry, Lee, but it’s for your own good,” he says, and you can hear the emotion welling up in his voice. 

“S-...Sensei--”

“Oh, Lee--”

“O-Oh, sensei, I am… so sorry!”

“All right, it’s over. You don’t need to say anymore--”

“Sensei--” Lee yells, jumping into the open arms of his instructor. The two weep in each other’s arms as you and your teammates let out audible sounds of disgust and confusion. 

“Actually, it’s kind of sweet, the way they’re all huggy and stuff,” Naruto says with a change of tone, and you kind of agree. Sakura, on the other hand, thinks “they’re both totally crazy.” 

You can’t help but think she’s right when Guy sensei sends Lee off to run 100 laps around the courtyard as punishment-- and when Sakura points out that Lee also disrupted the Chunin exams, the number is bumped up to 500. These guys have no chill. 

A pointed look at your squad from Guy sensei sparks a conversation about his apparent rival Kakashi sensei. Sasuke is sent reeling at the realization that Guy sensei might be better than Kakashi, but you’re not really surprised. There are tons of talented ninja, some are bound to be better than your sensei. Either way, your conversation ends with a declaration from Lee to crush Sasuke. 

Now, the three of you are stuck with a pissed off Sasuke. Just great. 

“Well, would you look at that,” Naruto says. “Maybe the Uchiha’s aren’t as great as everyone makes them out to be.” 

“Naruto! Why would you--” Sakura scolds, only to be cut off by a sharp “shut up” from Sasuke. You can’t help but roll your eyes as you start walking away from the group to find the designated testing area, not wanting to get involved in whatever argument was about to unfold. 

You’ve got enough on your plate, you don’t need Sasuke’s hurt ego to weigh on you anymore than it already will.


	2. Snake Lady Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and her team go up against the weird snake lady after passing the first part of the chunin exam.

If there’s one skill you have, it’s pretending to be brave when you’re shaking in your boots. Maybe that’s why you liked Naruto so much-- even whenever his confidence wavered, he always managed to pick himself back up again. Even if your courage is fake and his is real, it helps nonetheless. Fake it ‘til you make it, right? 

Well, let’s hope that holds up in the exam room. Not only are you immediately met with an onslaught of prying eyes upon your entrance, your resident idiot teammates keep drawing more attention to the rookies. It’s not until a peculiar guy named Kabuto approaches us that they get the hint to quiet down, but even then, Naruto goes and makes the situation worse by announcing a declaration of war against the other examinees. Scratch what you said earlier about liking Naruto. He’s a nuisance. 

Regardless, the first stage of the exam seems easy enough. Just a paper test. You’re not as book-smart as Sakura, but you’re decently intelligent, rational and down to earth. You’re not sure if you can say the same for Naruto--not that it really mattered when it came to the first exam. The questions were so hard you were certain even Sakura would struggle-- hell, you could only answer a couple, and you’re pretty sure what you put was wrong. It was in the last half of the exam you realized the true intent of the test. You never were one for cheating, but if a test basically requires you to in order to become a chunin, then you had to put aside your pride for once and just try your best to get a few right answers. 

The hard part was finding who had the right answers. Looking around, most of the students seemed just as stumped as you. Luckily, someone a few seats ahead of you was steadily chipping away at their exam, and using a combination of your weak genjutsu skills and ninjutsu, you were able to snag a few answers. In the end, none of it really mattered, however. When you saw that none of your other teammates were throwing in the towel for the tenth question, you decided you wouldn’t let them down. Turns out it was as easy as that, because deciding to take on the tenth question was all you had to do to pass. Next thing you know, the four of you were headed into the second phase of the chunin exam. 

To say you were nervous in the beginning of the second phase is an understatement. Standing at the gate to the Forest of Death with your scroll, it took everything you had in you not to let the extent of your nerves peek through your facade. You just hoped that so long as you looked confident, you would eventually feel confident. 

The start of the second phase wasn’t too bad. You came across a couple teams, but with the combined power of Naruto and Sasuke, you didn’t face too much resistance. The main thing you were worried about was getting separated, and someone pretending to be one of your teammates. Fortunately, Naruto was the only one dumb enough to consistently make himself a target, and Sasuke was decent enough at uncovering which Naruto was the real one. 

The true problem occurred when an opponent from another team showed up. Only this wasn’t just any opponent-- snake-like and venomous, this fellow examinee seemed to be out for more than just a scroll. Unfortunately, one swift bite to the arm left you down for the count for most of the fight, but the mere paralysis of your body left your eyes open to see the horror unfolding before you. Looking on from a distant tree branch, you watched as Sasuke tried desperately to fight off the enemy, taking blow after blow, all while Sakura did nothing and Naruto was nowhere to be found. 

Why wasn’t she doing anything? And where was Naruto? You wanted to yell at her to move, help Sasuke, do something, but you couldn’t. And even then, who were you to talk? At least she was still able to fight. You went and got yourself put out of commission early in the fight, and for basically nothing. The move you were trying to pull hadn’t really worked anyway. So as much as you’d like to think you were above Sakura in terms of fighting, you weren’t. All you ever did was put yourself in harms way and make everything harder for the rest of the team. You really needed to get stronger. 

Slowly, you started to regain feeling from your feet, upward. By the time you were finally able to move around, Sasuke was writhing in pain from what, at a distance, looked like a snake bite. Only when you moved closer could you see the strange mark formed on his neck, and the pained, frightened look in Sakura’s eyes told you that you were the one who had to fight next. That is, until Naruto came smashing in. 

Even after landing several blows and trying several different attacks, it didn’t seem like you two were getting anywhere. But after a while, it seemed the snake genin got tired of playing with its toys and sent Naruto flying directly into a tree. If you hadn’t been the snake genin’s next target, you would have gone to help him. Thankfully Sakura pinned him to the tree with her kunai. If she hadn’t, you don’t know what would have happened. 

One more swift kick from the snake genin sent you skidding onto a branch next to Sakura and Sasuke, and in that moment, everything went black. When you came back to a few moments later, the snake genin was gone, and Sakura hadn’t moved from her spot. You gathered your strength to stand, and surveyed the damage. 

Sasuke was still out of it, pained and shaking in Sakura’s arms. Sakura seemed frightened beyond belief, and Naruto was still firmly pinned to the large tree behind her. 

“I don’t know what to do… what do I do?” Sakura asked, her broken words meeting the quiet of the forest. You felt tears nearly prick into your eyes at the mere thought of what she must be feeling. 

Silently, you climbed from branch to branch before using your chakra to root yourself to the tree as you carefully unpinned Naruto. Hoisting him up into your arms, you jumped back over to Sakura and laid him down gently. After a few minutes of pained silence, you looked over to Sakura. 

“Sakura…” you started with a gentle touch to her wrist, wary of startling her. Still, she jumped, and you felt your heart sink when you saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. “We should find somewhere safe for them to rest.” 

After a few moments of letting it sink in, Sakura nodded her head, and adjusted the weight of the boy in her arms. Solemnly, the two of you traversed the limbs of the forest, your best friends and trusted comrades dangling in your arms. It felt like a funeral, but you knew the worst was yet to come.


	3. Safe and Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Sakura manage to get the boys to a safer place so they can rest. But, how long until you're found out by another team?

Navigating the tangled limbs of the Forest of Death was no easy task, and the dead weight settled in your arms certainly wasn’t helping. You kept your eyes peeled for any good resting spot, but Sakura was eventually the one to spot a clearing up ahead. Nestled in the thick tree trunks was a spot that looked perfect-- a covered area on flat ground, partially obscured by branches. Once you reach the clearing, you adjust Naruto’s weight in your arms, and deposit him onto the ground beneath the branch cover. Sakura follows your actions, setting Sasuke onto the ground carefully. It’s only now that you get a good look at the boys. 

They’re both a little banged up, and neither of their injuries look overwhelming. But while Naruto is conked out peacefully, Sasuke’s shaking and heavy breathing make worry sink to the pit of your stomach. What’s got him like this? It’s got to be that bite, right? 

Sakura still seems to be taking in the situation as you pull off your jacket, folding it into fourths. She watched as you carefully lift Naruto’s head and settle him onto the makeshift pillow. You gesture for her to do the same for Sasuke, which she does. Moments later, seemingly out of nowhere, Sakura pulls out a few white rags. Grabbing her canteen, she gets the rag damp, and places it on Sasuke’s forehead. Looking over to you, she’s still got that hollow look in her eye, but she seems to be getting on better than before. 

“Is Naruto running a fever?” she asks quietly, gesturing to the sleeping boy. You put the back of your hand to each of his cheeks, but don’t notice anything out of the ordinary. 

“I don’t think so,” you say just as quietly, almost scared to break the atmosphere settling around the four of you. She nods, and goes back to tending to the feverish boy. 

In the heavy silence, you felt your exhaustion set in. Aches from the previous fight began to arise, and you felt yourself growing weak. Standing up, you walked over to the edge of your hiding spot, and propped yourself up on the trunk surrounding you. As you let your head drop into your knees, a large sigh escaped you. 

It’s never easy with you four, is it? 

You sneak a peek towards Sakura, and you feel your heart grow heavy. She looks exhausted.

“Hey, Sakura?” you ask weakly, trying again not to startle her. Luckily, she seems to have calmed down, and all you’re met with is a tired, curious glance.

“You should really get some rest,” you say, lifting your head from your knees. 

“No, no…” she says, her voice trailing. “I need to watch over Sasuke. And you were the one who got injured in the fight.” 

A tired smile crosses your lips, and you move into a crouching position. 

“Don’t worry about me, Sakura,” you start, laughing weakly. “I got more than enough rest during that fight.” 

She eyes you with disapproval at your making light of the situation, but you stand and approach her beside Sasuke. 

“I’ll watch over him for you,” you say, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I don’t think he’s waking up anytime soon.” 

She hesitates, but eventually relents, settling to lay down directly above the two sleeping boys. Her head is adjacent to Sasuke’s, and you can’t help the soft smile that comes across your face. She really does care about this kid, huh? It’s sweet. 

As much as you admonished her in private about her unwavering loyalty to the boy, you’d think you disliked her. But, of course, that wasn’t the case. You and Sakura had grown very close over the course of your missions, and she was probably the best friend you had. That’s what frustrated you about her love for Sasuke. To see her kiss the ground he walked on was infuriating when you knew she deserved to be standing right there beside him. In truth, you felt like her valuing of him made her lose value in herself. It downright pissed you off, because for as long as you could remember, you looked up to Sakura. Her intelligence, her beauty and her personality were like shining stars in your night sky that you could only hope to reach. To see her throw that away all for some guy just rubbed you the wrong way, and as someone that cared about her, you tried to show her that. But, for as smart as she is, Sakura is equally as stubborn. So, of course, she doesn’t listen. 

But, it’s whatever. No real harm has been done to her or the team, so hopefully it stays that way. 

As the rest of your team slept soundly (or, in Sasuke’s case, not-so-soundly), it was your job to protect and watch over them. As quietly as you could, you rigged up a clothesline using wire string and shuriken to dry and cool Sasuke’s rags. Aside from a few woodland creatures, there wasn’t a whole lot going on outside of the shelter. 

After about four hours, Sakura woke up, and the two of you switched out. You took to sleeping over off to the side of the boys, up against the tree, rather than above them, though. When you woke up a few hours later, it was getting dark, and Sakura was nowhere to be seen. Instantly, you jolted to your feet, and assumed a crouched position in front of the two boys. Drawing out your kunai, you carefully surveyed the terrain. The sound of rustling put you on high alert, and you prepared yourself to fight. 

Peeking out from behind the branch cover, though, you saw Sakura a few feet in front of your shelter. 

“Sakura?” you said with confusion, causing her to whip her head around to you. You lower your weapon, and stand, exiting the cover. “What are you doing?” 

“Oh, hey!” she said with a soft smile, and returned to whatever she was doing. “I’m making a trap in case someone tries to attack us.” 

“Oh,” you say, still not really sure what she’s up to. “What kind of trap?” 

“Well, you see…” she starts, taking a breath to prepare for her explanation. Unfortunately, she lost you after “pulley system,” so you just have to keep nodding and act like you know what she’s talking about. You just woke up, what did she expect? 

“Hopefully it’ll-- hey! (Y/n), are you even listening??” she asks exasperatedly, eyes narrowing in agitation. You let out an apologetic chuckle, running a hand through your hair. 

“Heh, sorry, Sakura. I’m still a little out of it from just waking up,” you say crouching beside her to look at the trap. “But, this does still look really cool. Good thinking!” 

She instantly softens at your praise, and brushes her hands off on her leggings as she stands. 

“Thanks,” she says, putting her hands on her hips. A comfortable silence settles between the two of you, but there’s a question nagging in your brain. 

“Do you…” you start, trying to think of the best way to word your question. “Do you want to talk about what happened earlier?” 

At the mention of the fight, the same hollow look returns to her eyes. 

“What do you mean?” she asks innocently. 

“Well, I just…” you sigh, not knowing the words to ask what you really want to know. “You seemed pretty shaken up about everything. I guess I’m just asking if you want to talk about it.” 

She takes a moment to think, and you can tell she’s hardening her defenses. 

“I don’t think there’s a whole lot to talk about,” she says finally, sending you a sad look. You nod understandingly, your teeth biting your bottom lip out of habit. 

“Just let me know if there’s anything I can do, alright?” you say after a moment, looking into her sad gaze. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.” 

She nods with her same sad smile. 

“Thank you, (y/n). That means a lot,” she says, and after a few seconds, crouches back down to make a few adjustments to her trap. “I’ll just finish this up and we can switch out again.” 

You nod, and slowly make your way back to the hiding spot, shoving yourself in the far back corner. After Sakura finishes up her trap, she comes in to take one last look at Sasuke before returning to her position above their heads to sleep. After about an hour, you return to Sasuke’s side to replace the rag on his forehead. Above him, Sakura seems to be having a bad dream. You contemplate waking her up, but the sound of rustling behind you pushes you to your feet. 

Drawing your kunai, you ready yourself to strike. You’re about to reach behind you and wake Sakura when you catch sight of the offender. 

A squirrel? 

You breathe a sigh of relief, letting a small laugh escape you. All that worry over a squirrel. Hah! 

Your amusement doesn’t last for long, however, when you see the squirrel b-lining for Sakura’s trap. Flustered, you throw your kunai towards the small animal, trying to startle it away. Luckily, it seems your plan worked, and the squirrel is sent scurrying back into the woods. You fall back onto your but in exhausted victory, keeping a watchful eye towards the treeline. Luckily, the rest of your shift goes over pretty smoothly. 

When Sakura wakes up, it’s about an hour before dawn. You take your place on the far side of the tree cover, and let sleep overtake you. 

It’s a little after sunrise when a deep voice disturbs your dreams. At first, your mind thinks it must be Sasuke finally waking up. But with one sleepy glance towards the boy, you know that’s not the case. Who is it, then? Looking around from your startled slumber, you see Sakura staring wide-eyed out of the hiding spot. 

Oh, no. 

Within seconds, you’re on your feet with your kunai ready, sticking quietly to the interior of the large tree as you assess the situation. If Sakura realizes you’re up, she doesn’t show it. 

“What do you want here?” she asks pointedly. “I mean, what do you really want?”

As she speaks to whoever is on the other side of the tree, you try to move and get a look at what, exactly, is happening out there. Silently you walk along the edge of the hiding spot, until you get to an area with a small crack in the wood. Looking out, you see three people. 

“I know Orochimaru is calling the shots from the shadows,” Sakura says, getting angrier by the second. “What’s that strange bruise on the back of Sasuke’s neck? You’re behind this, too, aren’t you? And now you want to fight him when he can’t defend himself?” 

Listening to Sakura berate the other genin almost sends you into a panic. Just what is she trying to do? Pissing them off won’t help anything. 

“I can’t stay quiet after hearing you talk to use like that,” one of the men say from his place on top of a rock. “First, I’m going to kill this girl, and then I’m going to kill Sasuke.”

Those words aren’t easy to swallow no matter how many times you hear them. You try to remind yourself to stay calm, and think of a plan. What’s the right thing to do? Do they know you’re there? If they don’t, should you stay and plan a surprise attack, or should you try and get Naruto and Sasuke out of here unseen? You get the feeling that won’t work. Even if you could manage to get them out, where would you go? You can’t just leave them somewhere and come back to help Sakura. 

As these thoughts go through your head, you watch as a man with dangling sleeves uncovers Sakura’s trap. Well, there goes that. 

But then, Sakura pulls a fast one, unveiling a second trap dangling above. Maybe you should have listened to what she explained earlier. Either way, nice going Sakura! Always thinking ahead. 

That is, until the three genin smash through the log designed to crush them. Shit. With their sights set on Sakura, they’re closing in fast. Think, (y/n). What should you do? 

Rushing forward, you follow your instincts. You push Sakura out of the way, sending her on her butt beside Naruto and Sasuke. Sheathing your kunai, you begin forming hand signs to create your strongest defensive tactic- barrier ninjutsu. From the ground rises a wall of earth, shielding the four of you from the advancing team. You wait for the impact, but it never comes. From the other side of the barrier, you hear a familiar voice. Who the hell is that?


	4. Much Less Safe and Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rock Lee comes to the rescue! But can he take on these ninja by himself? 
> 
> TW: blood, vomit, violence

“Leaf Hurricane!” a voice shouts from the other side of the barrier. 

“Is that--” you start, looking to Sakura. 

“Lee?” she finishes, sounding almost hopeful. 

Happy to see him now, huh? 

You release the barrier, sending it back into the ground, as Sakura joins you in your crouched position at the opening of the tree cover. Your suspicions are confirmed as you watch the boy clad in a green jumpsuit kick each of the offending team members backwards in one fell swoop. As he comes to land gracefully in front of you two, you can’t help but look on in awe and confusion. Why is he here? And why is he helping you? Also… is that a squirrel on his shoulder? 

“It looks like you also need to make more of an effort,” Lee says, staring down the opposing team with unbreakable resolve. 

“Who are you?” the genin with the long sleeves asks, preparing himself for another attack. 

“I am the handsome devil of the Leaf Village,” Lee responds without skipping a beat, determination lacing his voice. “And my name is Rock Lee.” 

Handsome devil, huh? At least he’s got confidence. After a beat of silence, Sakura finally voices her confusion. 

“W-..What are you doing here, Lee?” she asks incredulously. 

“I will always appear anytime and anywhere that you are in trouble, Sakura,” Lee responds, standing a little taller. Scooping up the squirrel on his shoulder, he leans down to place the woodland creature on the ground. “This was really all thanks to you, little one. But now it is time for you to run along.” 

Your heart would have been bursting with how cute that was, had you not been in the middle of a fight. And despite Rock Lee’s painfully clear explanations, Sakura still doesn’t really seem to get why he’s here. Neither do you, but you don’t feel like questioning it. 

“But right now, on this test, I’m your enemy,” she says, questioning him. He doesn’t waver. 

“Sakura, I already told you. I will protect you until I die.” 

His words make your heart skip a beat, and you’re not even the one they’re directed at. Sakura takes a moment to process his words, and eventually responds to him with a soft kindness. 

“Yes... thank you, Rock Lee.” 

From the side, you see exaggerated lines of tears making their way down Lee’s face at Sakura’s response. A sympathetic chuckle lingers in your throat, but once you remember where you are, it’s gone in an instant. These genin, the ones who came to fight Sasuke, aren’t playing around. And there’s three of them. Technically, there’s three of you who can fight, but someone has to watch over Sasuke and Naruto. At the moment, you feel you’re better equipped to fight than Sakura. You know she hasn’t been sleeping well. 

Making the decision yourself, you stand, and look to Sakura. She meets your eyes, and a look of understanding that says “protect them” passes between the two of you. As your enemies collude on the other side of the clearing, you join Lee in front of the tree cover. Before he has the chance to protest, the genin with long sleeves is charging forward, arm outstretched. Immediately, you throw one of your shuriken towards him, but he dodges effortlessly. As you move to create another barrier, Lee is plunging his hand into the ground. A second later, a huge log emerges from the earth, shielding you from the blow. 

“I am positive that there is some kind of trick to your attack, therefore, I will not waste my time trying to dodge it,” Lee states, getting ready to defend against the next attack. “After all, I have seen your jutsu before.” 

Your murmer out a quick thanks, but his words bring up your memories of the first day of the exam. These were the guys that hurt Kabuto, right? Did some weird sort of sound thing to him that shattered his glasses? It all happened so fast that you didn’t really catch any of what happened until afterward. Even so, looking at their headbands, you’re certain it’s the same people. 

“So, what’s our next move?” you ask, kunai in hand. 

“I am not certain, but this will have to work,” Lee says, almost to himself. 

After a moment or two, you look over to see him undoing the bandages on his wrist. What’s he doing that for? You think back to his fight with Sasuke, back right before Guy sensei showed up. Was he about to do the same move? 

After a few seconds, your suspicions were confirmed as Lee ran forward, tangling the sound village ninja in his bandages. Watching as they flew higher and higher into the air, you almost missed when another one of the sound ninja tried to deflect the full force of Lee’s attack by using the holes in his hands to soften the landing. Charging forward, you readied your kunai before jumping high into the air, ready to land a hit on the ninja.

Before you could, though, the third sound ninja landed a punch to your right cheek. This ended up deflecting the brunt of your attack, but luckily, it seems the ground-bending sound ninja was thrown off kilter by your move. He created a mound of dirt beneath Lee and the sound ninja he had trapped, but it was small. Not small enough, however. As Lee attempted to finish off his move, he was thrown back towards the tree cover. Hopping into the air once more, you tried to get back to the tree cover yourself, but were caught by the leg by one of the sound ninja. After a minute of struggle, you finally got the chance to look back to your teammates. Sakura and the others looked fine, but Lee was on his knees before one of the sound ninja, looking disoriented and tired. 

In that moment you did everything you could to break free of the female sound ninja; if your thinking was correct, one blow could knock Lee out of commission, just like it did Kabuto. And right now, you could not afford to lose his help. A couple of quick punches got her off of you just long enough for you to slip back over to your teammates. But when you arrived, the sound ninja was getting dangerously close to Lee. In a moment of desperation, you conjured up another barrier beneath the sound ninja’s feet. With a fierce yell, you sent the barrier shooting upward, and the ninja along with it.

“Leave him alone!” you shouted, taking a position right in front of Lee. If you were looking, you would have seen the awe-filled gaze he had fixed on you. The sound ninja you just rocketed upward smoothly backflipped over to his teammates from the top of the barrier. You deconstruct the barrier with another hand sign, and keep yourself rooted right between the sound ninja and Lee. 

Your breathing ragged, you stare wildly at the three ninja in front of you. You aren’t sure what to do next. 

“Well, now I’m just going to have to take care of you, little girl,” one of the sound ninja says menacingly, charging forward at you. You ready yourself to take the brunt of the blow, knowing Lee can’t take much more. Raising his arm, the sound ninja grows closer and closer, but the sound of another yell is what catches your attention. 

“No!” Lee shouts, jumping from his crouched position and pushing you out of the way. You try to tell him to stop, to stay back, but it’s too late. Before you know it, he’s standing in front of you with the sound ninja’s arm right to his own. It takes a second, but the scream that erupts from him when he’s finally hit by the soundwave just about breaks your heart. 

In a heap, he falls to the ground, motionless. You’re deathly still for a moment, your mind still processing what just happened. 

He just tried to save you. You. A person he’s never even really met. Someone who should be his enemy. 

You’ll be damned if you let his efforts be in vain. 

With a roaring yell, you lurch forward at the sound ninja. In reality, it’s to distract from the trick you’re trying to pull, but you hope he doesn’t realize that. Soon, he’s swinging that damned arm towards you again, and this time, you let it connect. Well, sort of. As soon as he makes contact, the substitution turns to a puff of smoke, and the sound ninja is looking around in confusion, searching for the real you. 

Little did he know you were right above him. 

Coming down with a hard kick, you hit right on top of his skull, sending him backward. Behind you, Sakura is getting to her feet. Looks like it’s just the two of you, now. 

Rushing forward, Sakura sends out a wave of shuriken. But with one move from the sound ninja, they’re sent flying back at you twice as fast. If you were as quick as Sasuke, maybe you’d have been able to dodge it, or deflect it with your headband. Unfortunately, speed never has been your forte; one of the shuriken leaves a painful slice under your left eye. Clutching your face with a painful yelp, you’re sent to the ground. A startled sound comes from Sakura, and she moves swiftly to help you-- but you wave her off, climbing back to your feet. There’s no time to waste on minor injuries, not with these guys looming over you. You wipe off the blood from the cut on your pants. 

Without hesitation, the sound ninja begin moving in once more. Making eye contact with Sakura, the two of you wordlessly agree on a plan of attack. With Sakura taking the right side and you taking the left, you both barge into the trio of sound ninja, hoping to take at least one of them down. You get stuck fighting to guy with the long sleeves and annoying arm amplifier. Conjuring up a couple of barriers, you do your best to fend him off; he sends his sound waves crashing through them. Before you know it, you’re running, doing everything you can to defend against his one-hit wonder, barriers, shuriken, punching, kicking. Anything to try and fight him off. You must look like an idiot, but it’s hard to care when you feel like you’re fighting for your life. 

With one more guttural yell, you jump upward to try and land another kick. But, your predictable move and slow reaction time is no match for his unbridled power. Not only are you met with a sharp thunk to the right side of your head from his arm, a few seconds later you’re met with an indescribable pain. The sound waves. You don’t realize you’re the one screaming until you have to stop for air. It’s the kind of pain that feels like there’s something trying to escape your body, tear you limb from limb. Destroy you. You’re like that until the blood and tears fogging your vision are drying, leaving a sticky layer of residue on your skin. 

When you look back over, Sakura’s got her hair caught by the female sound ninja. 

“S-Sakura…” you say weakly, trying to summon the strength to stand. You try, and fail. Hearing the female sound ninja laugh at you makes your blood boil. Sakura says your name, and hearing the tearful tone of her voice, you can’t help but feel like you’ve failed. You couldn’t protect these people you call your friends, and now they’re going to pay the price for your mistakes. Again. The tears begin to overflow from your swollen eyes once again, and you couldn’t help the sob that escaped your lips. 

“I’m s-so sorry,” you sob, so quietly that you’re not even sure you said it. Suddenly, you hear a similar sob come from Sakura’s direction. The sound of her cries bring you back to reality, and you’re filled with need to try something, anything to get you out of this situation. Pulling yourself together, you survey the area.

Lee’s laying not too far away. He’s not unconscious, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be going anywhere anytime soon. You have to avoid the sting you feel when you remember he’s like this because he tried to protect you. Behind him, you see one of the sound ninja approaching Sasuke and Naruto under the branch cover. You have to stop him. You give standing another go, and this time isn’t any easier. You settle with sitting on your knees, hands splayed out in front of you. Pushing yourself up into a sitting position, you try to make another barrier, but you just don’t have it in you. You try once more, but nothing happens. You don’t have any strength left. You strangle the frustrated sob attempting to leave your lips as you give standing up one more try. This time, you manage to get one foot under you. Slowly, you ease yourself into a wobbly standing position. Once you’re there, though, you’re at a loss for what to do. Regardless, you feel yourself reaching down to grab your kunai, but the sound of Sakura’s voice stops you. 

“It’s not meant for you,” she says boldly before lifting up her kunai to cut her hair free from the female sound ninja. Her pink locks flow with the breeze across the clearing. 

Looking at her right now, you don’t recognize her. She’s not the person who was sitting there just moments ago with tears streaming down her face. Now, she’s stronger. Determined. And going after the other sound ninja, evidently. 

“Sakura, be careful,” you hear Lee say weakly from his spot on the ground. You think the same thing, but set your eyes on the sound ninja still going after Sasuke. 

Behind you, Sakura is pelting the other team with her shuriken and kunai, and using substitution after substitution to pull off flawless moves against the enemy. You wish you could stop and admire how badass she looked, but right now, you’ve got another problem to handle. As the sound ninja inches closer to your comrades, you try to think of a plan to keep him at bay. Unfortunately, in the middle of your planning, it seems the female sound ninja wants to drag you through the dust again. Before you know it she’s blasting you backwards with her sound waves, forcing you to one knee as she taunts you. 

“What, is that all you’ve got? Too bad. Looks like you’re going to die here,” she says with a smirk, readying her arms to hit you with another blast. You act quickly, though, and dive between her open legs, stomach-first. Flopping over, you reach up to grab her long hair, and yank. Hard. With a pained yell, she’s sent crashing into you on the ground. You scramble to get on top of her, using every ounce of force in your body to hold down her arms and legs. But, a loud thunk from behind you makes you drop your guard. When you look back, Sakura’s on the ground with one of the other sound ninja, taking punch after punch to the head. 

“Shit,-” you start worriedly, only to be cut off by a painful blow to the bottom of your jaw. A painful yelp escapes you as she turns the tables, pinning you to the ground beneath her. You fight desperately to get her off of you, kicking and rolling, but it doesn’t do any good. Straddled above you, you see her smirk each times she lands another punch to your face. One particularly painful hit makes you scream, and you’re pretty sure she broke your nose. After it seems she’s had her fun, though, she gets off of you and stands, brushing off her hands. 

You’re dazed, but the kick she lands on your side helps bring you out of it. You can’t hear her, you can hardly see her, but the look on her face shows she’s satisfied with her handiwork. Wiping some of the blood from your face onto your arm, you grab your kunai, and lunge straight for her legs. Over and over, you stab without even being sure you’ve hit your mark. You’re tangled around her torso, and even though you feel the punches she’s landing on your back, you can’t really bring yourself to care. Eventually she kicks you backwards, sending you skidding across the ground. This time she looks pissed off, limping from the looks of it, with scratches down her legs. You look around you for anything that could help you, but you find nothing. All you’ve got is your kunai and a couple shuriken, as well as whatever chakra you’ve got left (which you’re almost certain is none). Behind the female sound ninja, you see Sakura being vaulted into the air and thrown off the man with holes in his palms. When it looks like he’s going back for seconds, with Sakura sprawled helplessly on the ground, that’s when you panic. 

“Sakura!” you yell, hoping to rouse her from her stupor. “Get u-” 

One final kick from the female ninja to your jaw sends you flying backward, your body going limp. As you feel the darkness closing in around you, you swear you see another group of people appear near Sakura. You’re out cold too fast to know if they’re friend or foe.


	5. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally get back together with your squad! But you get the feeling there's something your friends aren't telling you.

_“C’mon, (y/n), it’ll be fun!”_

_The voice sounds sweet, but muffled. It’s like you’re listening in from the other room._

_“Fine, you got me. Let’s go!”_

_Pale swirls of color dance in the air hazily, almost looking distant. Maybe this is what nostalgia looks like._

_A gentle laugh, and the feeling of a warm gaze settling on you._

_You feel happy; you aren’t sure what this dream is, but you like it._

_As always, though, dreams like this don’t last for long._

_A scream pierces through the hazy atmosphere._

_“No, no…”_

_The cotton-candy-colored background begins to melt, dripping down in shades of grey and black, painting the wall in an inescapable darkness. A dull but paralyzing static fills the air._

_Fear._

_“Oh my God, (y/n)...”_

_The static grows so strong it’s deafening, and it’s as if all the air is sucked from the dreamscape. All that’s left is the feeling in your chest._

_“What have you done?”_

You wake up with a jolt, sweat and tears rolling down your face. Breathing heavy, it takes you a minute to remind yourself it was just a nightmare. You lay back with a heavy sigh, fluttering your eyes shut to defend against the harsh light of the sun. Fingers brush the foreign landscape of rough stone under your body in a desperate attempt to ground you back in reality. 

Unfortunately, you’re not so lucky. 

“Hey, I think (y/n) is waking up!” 

The voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard. You let out a painful groan. 

Wait, who was that? 

Opening your eyes, you see the familiar form of Naruto leaned over you, hands on his hips. 

Then everything comes rushing back. 

Sudden adrenaline sends you bolting upright, ignoring the pain as your eyes searching the landscape hurriedly. 

The fight. You were in the middle of a fight when you went down. All of your comrades were down. Where were they now? 

“Woah, woah, what’s up with you?” Naruto asks, clearly confused. 

When you look up to him this time, it’s like you’re seeing him differently than before. Instead of just his normal rambunctious self, you saw a friend you thought you might have lost standing right there, in the flesh. 

You clamor to your feet, placing a hand on either of his forearms in relief. 

“Naruto, oh my gosh! You’re okay!” you say excitedly, a happy expression butting heads with his utterly dumbfounded one. Did you say something wrong? “You… are okay, right?” 

“Uh, yeah…” he says dryly, eyeing you weirdly. “But shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” 

You remove your hands from his arms and return to a more reserved, albeit anxious, stance. Shaking your head, you strain your neck to peer around Naruto and search a wider area for your other friends. 

“Don’t worry about me,” you say dismissively, shooting him a curious and worried glance. “Where is everyone else? Are they okay?” 

He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“Yeah, everyone’s fine,” he says matter-of-factly, but you can tell there’s something else on his mind. “I think Sakura and Sasuke went off to find firewood or something.” 

You shake your head idly, anxiety still welling up in the pit of your stomach. You felt like you needed to see them, but it would have to wait for now. You sit back down as you feel the adrenaline wearing off, beginning to feel the full weight of your injuries taking over.

Naruto eyes you worriedly. 

“What happened during that fight, anyway? Sakura and Sasuke won’t really say anything about it,” he says, frustration evident even through his concern. 

You let out a deflated chuckle. 

“All I know is that we got our asses kicked by some sound ninja,” you say, shrugging. “Hell, if Lee… hadn’t…”

You trail off, a wave of realization hitting you like a brick. 

“Was Lee injured? Is he okay?” you ask in a low voice, nerves seeping through your words. You thought it was kind of weird you felt so worried about a kid you met once, but you hope Naruto doesn’t say anything about it. 

If the puzzled look he gave you wasn’t enough to crush your hope of that, his next words were. 

“What, bushy-brow? How am I supposed to know? And why do you care, anyway? You don’t even know the guy!” Naruto spouts off, spitfire as usual. 

You sink into yourself, a serious look overtaking your features. In the wake of your silence, Naruto realizes he might have said something wrong. 

“Did something happen?” he asks, crouching to your level as he scratches a stick idly on the surface of the rocks. 

Your gaze is unfocused and distant as you recall the fight. 

_Raising his arm, the sound ninja grows closer and closer, but the sound of another yell is what catches your attention._

_“No!” Lee shouts, jumping from his crouched position and pushing you out of the way. Before you know it, he’s standing in front of you with the sound ninja’s arm right to his own._

_In a heap, he falls to the ground, motionless._

“He, uh…” you start, trying to find the right words. “He just tried to save me, is all. And he ended up getting hurt. I just wanted to make sure he was okay.” 

Your words were quiet and solemn, a combination Naruto was never comfortable with. 

“Oh…” Naruto says, almost apologetic. You can tell he feels bad about rushing to a conclusion. 

“Well, don’t worry about him,” he says offhandedly, rising again to his full height and interlocking his fingers behind his head. “He knows how to take care of himself. I mean, you saw him kick Sasuke’s butt, right? I doubt a couple of crummy sound ninja could keep him down for long.” 

And he’s right. In his own weird way, Naruto’s words kind of lift your spirits.

“What’s that about getting my butt kicked, loser?” a familiar taunting voice asks from behind you. “If I recall correctly, he had you out of the fight before it even started.” 

You turn around to see Sasuke carrying a pile of firewood, with Sakura trailing not too far behind. It’s hard to hide your excitement. 

“Sasuke, Sakura!” you say, waving to the two with a wide smile. Sakura’s demeanor matches your own, but Sasuke meets you with his usual coolness. 

“(Y/n)!” Sakura says, running past the boy clad in blue to bring you into a tight hug. You laugh lightly at her enthusiasm, hugging her back just as tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” 

“Me too,” you say, drawing back. Your wary gaze glances over the two, question on the tip of your tongue as an uncomfortable silence settles over the four of you. 

“So, uh…” you start, locking eyes with Sakura. “What happened? After I got knocked out, I mean.” 

Your dry laugh doesn’t do much to help the atmosphere. Sakura shifts awkwardly, while Sasuke moves past you to put down the firewood. 

“Well…” Sakura starts awkwardly, eyes darting to Sasuke. Your brow furrows in confusion at her hesitant demeanor, wondering just what might have happened after you went down. “I don’t exactly know when you passed out. But after a while Ino’s team came and Sasuke finally woke up. Luckily, that was enough to make the sound ninja retreat.” 

You nod, mostly content with her response. You still feel like she's hiding something, but you let it go for now. 

“What about Lee? Was he…” you ask, hoping she can fill in the blanks to what you’re really asking. Her eyes meet yours with empathetic understanding. 

“Lee’s okay,” she says, resting a comforting hand on your shoulder. “His teammates came by after the fight to take him somewhere safe so he could rest up.” 

Nodding again, you try your best to push down the emotions building up, threatening to spill over. You don’t do a very good job. 

“Sakura,” you say, hesitantly meeting her eyes as tears begin to steadily roll down your cheeks. “I am… so sorry.... that I couldn’t do more to help you.” 

A sob escapes your lips as you drink in her surprised expression. You use a hand to scrub the rolling tears away. 

“But, my gosh, you kicked ass out there,” you say with a watery laugh. Your eyes wander over her newly-cut hair to get an actual look at the new style. “And your hair! It looks so good!” 

Her hands begin to trail upward, bashfully trailing through her locks. 

“Thank you,” she says proudly. But soon her expression falls again. “And don’t worry about it, (y/n). I’m sorry, too. If I had stepped in sooner, maybe you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” 

You wave her off, not wanting her to feel bad for your own shortcomings. 

“Don’t worry about it,” you say with a sniffle, wiping away the remainder of your tears. “Let’s just take this as a warning. We’ve definitely got some work to do.” 

Sakura wilts at your declaration, but nods along anyway. 

“Hey, are you two done yet?” Naruto yells impatiently, wading in a creek about 20 feet away. He’s holding some kind of net. “These fish aren’t going to catch themselves!” 

You chuckle, rolling your eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah! I’m coming,” you mutter, moving mechanically to remove your jacket. When your hand meets bare shoulders, you search your body in confusion. Where’s your jacket? 

Oh, yeah. You gave it to Naruto to use as a pillow. 

Your shoulders sink when you realize it must have gotten left behind.

Sighing, you lean down to take off your shoes. 

“Hey,” Sasuke says, causing you to snap your head up to look at him. He’s near the fire, resting on a log. He jolts a thumb to the right of him. “Your clothes are over there.” 

You smile to the boy, saying a quick thank you, before going to collect your jacket. You fold it on the ground neatly next to your shoes, and lean down to roll up your pant legs. 

“I’m glad to see you’re okay,” you say softly, shooting a small smile to Sasuke. His eyes meet yours for a moment before flicking back to the work-in-progress fire. After a moment of awkward silence, he finally speaks up. 

“You too,” he says, quirking up his lips in something akin to a smile. 

“(Y/n)! Come ooooon!” Naruto whines again, interrupting the moment. You laugh to yourself, standing up. 

Time to catch some fish.


	6. The Silver Fox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With only 24 hours left to make it to the tower with both scrolls, your team is really feeling the pressure. Thankfully, a familiar face shows up to offer you some help.

As it turns out, catching fish isn’t so easy. Even with the four of you, you hardly turned out enough food for the day. The next day wasn’t much better. 

After blacking out from the fight, you woke up in the early afternoon of Day 3. Though the rest of your team was up and walking by then, you were hardly in a position to take on another team to try and procure a Heaven Scroll, so you took to recuperating and gathering food. By the end of the fourth day, all of you were beginning to feel the pressure. 

Crowding around the fire, your team waited for the catch of the day to cook. The tense silence surrounding you made memories from the past few days cross your mind-- memories you’d been intentionally avoiding, such as the bold taijutsu prodigy who tried to save you. 

For whatever reason you couldn’t explain, the green-clad boy had been constantly running circles through your mind. It didn’t matter what you were doing or who you were with, memories of the incident kept popping up unannounced and unwanted. Your mind flashes back to the moment of his arrival, wind blowing his oddly-cut hair as he stood up to the awful sound nin approaching your hideout. 

You weren’t really the type, but in that moment, it felt like he was your hero. And it may have all been for Sakura, but you get the feeling he’d do that for anyone. Perhaps that’s the explanation for the unyielding respect you felt when you thought about him, or the worry and guilt you felt now. But more than anything, it was frustrating how attached you felt to someone you only met a handful of times. You just hoped he’d make it through the exams, and that the setbacks you caused him wouldn’t act as a hindrance. 

Speaking of setbacks...

“It’s already been four days since the second exam started,” Sasuke said, his words echoing your thoughts. “We only have 24 or 25 hours left.” 

You and Sakura hum in agreement, while Naruto eyeballs whichever fish he wants to claim as his own. You can practically see the drool dribbling down his chin when Sasuke declared the fish were done. Naturally, you took the runt of the group, not wanting to impose on any of your teammates. 

“There may be some teams that have already passed,” Sakura added glumly, staring at the grilled fish corpse in her hands. “For all we know, there may not be any Heaven scrolls left.” 

“What do you mean, Sakura?” Sasuke asked, cool tone nearly betrayed by his confusion. 

“Well, in this second exam, four of the five-day time limit have passed already,” Sakura explained, worry etched in her words. “So that means we’ve already used 80 percent of the…” 

Her voice trailed off as you zoned out, focused on eating. It’s not that you didn’t care-- it’s just that diving into the exact percentage of your success was kind of a downer, especially since it was so low. 

You were brought back to reality when Sasuke stood up, water canister in hand.

“I’m going to get some more drinking water,” he said, turning towards the forest. His three remaining teammates merely stared after him, and it wasn’t until he was beyond the treeline that Naruto spoke up. 

“Say, say!” Naruto whispered conspiratorially, picking up the Earth scroll laying on the ground near him. “I have a good way for us not to fight with an enemy. Believe it!” 

You and the pink-haired girl eyed him with confusion and skepticism as he dumped out the contents of his bag. A variety of scrolls rolled out, and instantly you knew where this was going. 

“Get serious!” Sakura scolded, obviously already irritated with the boy’s antics. 

“I am serious!” Naruto said defensively, picking up a blue scroll. “I have a lot of scrolls stocked, so… ninjutsu manual, deadly poison manual, for notes. If we tweak this a little and change it into exactly like the Heaven scroll--” 

“H-hold it!” Sakura interrupted, holding up a hand to him dramatically. You leaned back onto your hands in your cross-legged position, ready to watch the fireworks.

“Even if you did such a thing, you don’t know what’s written on the inside,” Sakura pointed out fiercely, raising a finger in his direction. “If the proctor looked inside, you will be discovered right away! Idiot!” 

You let out an amused sigh, but neither seemed to notice in the midst of their animated discussion. 

It continued this way for a while, until you found yourself growing restless, legs falling asleep. Figuring they wouldn’t settle this anytime soon, a quick trip to the restroom shouldn’t hurt. Standing quietly, you brushed off your pants before muttering a quick “be right back” to the squabbling duo. To no one’s surprise, they didn’t hear you. 

You walk off silently into the treeline, making sure to head in the opposite direction of Sasuke. The last thing you needed was your duck-haired teammate, or worse, an enemy ninja, to stumble upon you pissing into a bush. 

Instantly your horrible mind conjured up an image of Rock Lee coming across you using the restroom in the woods, and you nearly fainted on the spot. The mere thought of something like that ever happening brought a prominent flush to your cheeks, and you cursed Kami for even thinking of something like that. 

_Why should I care if someone like him walks in on me? I’ve got nothing to hide._

(Your attempts at false confidence offer temporary relief, but deep down, you know you’re lying to yourself. You’d die of embarrassment.) 

Shaking the troublesome thoughts from your head, you continued on into the forest, searching for a suitable spot to do your business. 

_Too open. Too much mud. I can’t pee in a cave, right-- wait, is that Poison Ivy? Absolutely not._

After a few minutes of searching, you finally find a decently area. You take one last look around to make sure you’re alone before tugging down your pants. 

_Gotta make this fast._

As you’re finishing up, a rustle from the bush behind startles you, sending your exposed ass flying. Luckily, being a ninja and all, you’re able to maneuver yourself upright and tug up your pants in the blink of an eye. 

“What the hell-” you start in agitation, pulling a kunai from your holster. 

An eerie silence settles over the forest, and you begin to wonder if you should run. A second rustle from the bushes draws your attention. 

“Show yourself!” you demand, kunai ready to attack. 

Seconds later, a small, brown squirrel emerges from the underbrush, and you feel like an idiot. Sighing, you drop your fighting stance, and begin the trek back to the rest of the team. 

_That was embarrassing as hell. At least no one saw._

You’re still ashamed of yourself by the time you reach your base, but something peculiar knocks you out of your stupor. 

Looking closely, you see Naruto and Sakura leaned in with their backs to you, holding something. As you come closer, you recognize the item in Naruto’s hand as the Earth Scroll, and it looks like he’s about to open it. 

“Naruto!” you yell, moving in fast in an attempt to swipe the scroll from his hands. Just what the hell is he trying to do? Get you all disqualified? Both Naruto and Sakura’s heads begin to turn towards you as you close in on the two, arms outstretched. 

But just as you’re reaching them, another figure appears beside Naruto. In a flash you’re kicking off the ground and sending yourself backward, hopefully putting a safe distance between the two of you. You draw your kunai once more and ready yourself to attack, only to find Sakura and Naruto unmoving. 

Looking closer, the stranger came into focus. Gray hair tied up in a ponytail, circular glasses. Was this the same guy from the exam holding room? What was his name again?

“What the hell?” you asked, clearly confused. 

“You best not do it,” the familiar yet mysterious boy said, his hand resting upon the Earth Scroll. Looking once more to Naruto and Sakura, you saw their expressions were nearly identical to yours. Pure, unbridled confusion. 

Distant footsteps grew closer at an alarming speed, and out of the corner of your eye you spotted Sasuke charging toward the foreign nin. 

“Wait, Sasuke-” you start, reaching forward to try and catch him before he does anything rash. But, with his quick reactions, he dodged your efforts easily and made way for the gray-haired nin, arm extended in an attempt to grab him from behind. 

Without warning the foreign nin jumped upward, successfully avoiding the attack, and landed a few feet in front of your group. Sasuke swooped in and snatched the scroll from Naruto, shoving it into the pouch around his waist. 

With the invader farther away, the four of you drew closer to one another. 

“That was close,” the foreign ninja said, hands on his hips. “Those who ignore the rules are forced to leave the exam.” 

A muddled “we’re sorry” could be heard from Naruto and Sakura in response. As the gray-haired ninja dove into details about previous exams, you took a second to look over your comrades. Everyone seemed to be physically fine, but a little on edge. Especially Sasuke. 

“By the way,” your duck-haired cohort began, “if I’m not mistaken, you’re Kabuto, right? What are you doing out here without your team?” 

“It’s not that I’m after your scroll,” the mystery nin, who you now remember as Kabuto, said smoothly. 

“I didn’t think so,” Sasuke replied with narrowed eyes. “If so, you could have taken it from Naruto just now. So, you’re also after the Heaven Scroll?” 

“No,” Kabuto replies simply, reaching behind him into the pouch around his waist to pull out both a Heaven and Earth Scroll. “I already have them both.” 

As Kabuto went on to explain that he and his comrades were separated and intended to meet up at the tower, your attention was drawn to Sasuke. Underneath his cool exterior you could tell he was cooking up some kind of plan, but you weren’t sure what. Naruto and Sakura seemed oblivious to his scheming. 

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Kabuto trails off, turning back towards the treeline. You breathe a sigh of relief, glad things are going back to normal. 

“Wait!” Sasuke says, an aggressive glint in his eyes. “Fight me.” 

_Spoke too soon._

You stare unbelievingly at the boy, at a loss for words at his terrible idea, while your other two teammates scold the boy for his brashness. 

“Sorry, but we don’t have anymore time,” Sasuke says matter-of-factly, clearly set on his idea. 

Sasuke really wants to take on this guy after he just saved your team? What’s his problem? 

“Sasuke, Kabuto just saved us,” you offer gently, hoping not to piss off the boy further. 

“Yeah, is that really such a good idea?” Sakura adds, clearly walking on eggshells. 

“Shut up,” Sasuke shouts, interrupting the flow of negative feedback gushing towards him. Your blood boils at his words, pissed off at his complete lack of respect for his teammates. Or maybe it was just his lack of manners. “It can’t be helped. I said it before, too. This is all that can be done now to survive through this forest.” 

You huff indignantly, crossing your arms over your chest. This kid needs to learn to hold his tongue.

“You’re lying,” Kabuto says knowingly, turning back around to face your team.

A look of shock passes over the faces of Naruto and Sakura, but you’re still too pissed to act surprised at his revelation.

“For all your tough talk, your heart isn’t in it,” Kabuto adds, clarifying. “If that was true, if winning was really the only thing that mattered to you, why challenge me to a fight? Why not just take it? That’s what a ninja would do.” 

The subtle shift in Sasuke expression as he realized Kabuto was right was not missed by you, and you revelled in his discomfort. 

_Serves him right. How does it feel to be talked down to?_

“Hmm… that’s pretty deep,” Naruto ponders quietly to himself, face contorted in thought. Your pissed off demeanor cracks to reveal a small chuckle at his words.

“This guy should be my therapist,” you muse quietly to yourself, inwardly laughing at your own joke.

A sour look from Sasuke only furthers your entertainment. 

“That’s okay,” Kabuto says, cutting into your self-amusement. “Actually, I admire you for it. So here’s what I’ll do.” 

All four of your heads snap back to the silver nin, curious as to what, exactly, he’s offering. 

“I’ll show you the path you should follow,” he continues, turning back to the forest. “But let’s go. The smell of that cooking fire is going to draw every wild beast in the forest. And not just the animals.” 

You exchange an uncertain look with your teammates, but a nod from Sasuke and a nonchalant “okay” from Naruto gives you the answer you need. 

Sakura looks just as unsure as you, but you figure if he’s offering to help, you may as well give it a shot. It might be your only chance. 

The feeling of being watched is all that remains as your team follows Kabuto into the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise i don't hate sasuke omg i'm just trying to like... establish relationships???? idk


	7. Sasuke's Lament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your team finally reaches the tower! Not without some drama, though. And was Lee just staring at you?!

After hours upon hours spent travelling through the forest with Kabuto, a run-in with a team from the Hidden Rain Village, and a seemingly unending fight that lasted all night, your team finally arrives at the tower with both scrolls in hand. 

When you reach the door assigned to your team, all of you are practically dragging your feet. Though you tried your best not to let it show, the exhaustion settling into your shoulders and the dark bags under your eyes give you away easily. Unsurprisingly, the rest of your teammates look the same. 

Following a light ~~argument~~ discussion, the members of your team decided it was finally time to open the scrolls. Sakura and Naruto took the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, respectively, and began to slowly unroll them. 

“Huh? What does this mean?” Naruto asked in confusion, head tilting to the side. Peeking over his shoulder, you examined the unrolled scroll. 

“A… a man? A human?” Sakura asked uncomprehendingly, turning her scroll this way and that to see if she could decipher the message. 

Suddenly, the scroll in Naruto’s hands began to bubble up in the center, releasing smoke that began to surround the four of you. 

“That’s a summoning jutsu!” Sasuke shouted, “Quick, get rid of the scrolls!” 

Immediately the two nin chucked the scrolls across the room, taking on a defensive stance alongside you and Sasuke. 

From within the smoke, a figure began to emerge. You drew back your kunai, ready to strike. 

“Wait, what? It’s you?” Sasuke asked, shoulders relaxing with realization. 

Iruka stood in the vanishing smoke, arms crossed over his chest. Your stance slumped with relief at seeing the familiar face of your former sensei. 

“Long time no see, huh?” he offered with a smirk. “Looks like you’ve gone through a lot in this test.” 

Your team shared a look of surprise at his unexplained appearance, and you let out a chuckle at his understatement of the century. 

“Wait, what’s the deal with the surprise entrance?” Naruto asked impatiently, waving his arms for emphasis. “Why are you appearing with a summoning?” 

Iruka lets out a laugh at his pupil’s antics. 

“At the end of the second exam, we Chunin are supposed to welcome the test takers back,” Iruka explains, signature patience lacing his voice. “And well, it was just good luck that I got to be the one given the important task of being the messenger for you guys.” 

“The messenger?” Sakura asked, still shocked. Iruka waved off her question, pulling out a pocket watch. 

“Looks like you made it just in time, too,” he mused, a proud grin creeping onto his tanned features. “And now, congratulations. You have passed the second exam. I’d love to treat you to Ichiraku Ramen, but--” 

Your head swam with happiness as you revel in your team’s success, and Naruto launched himself at Iruka at the offer of ramen. You laughed tiredly at his sudden energy, plopping down on the hard concrete floor in exhaustion. Sakura and Sasuke soon followed, Sakura looking ready to keel over. 

“If we had opened the scrolls in the middle of the exam, what would you have done to us, Iruka sensei?” 

The way he worded the question sent a chill down your spine. Did he have to make it sound so weird? 

“As usual, Sasuke, you’re as sharp as a tack,” Iruka said, leaning down to gather the scrolls. 

Iruka went on to explain one of the true tests of the second exam-- your ability to see a mission all the way through, and in the event someone opens the scroll, they get knocked out. You blanched at the idea of being knocked out by your former sensei. As nice as he is, he can also be ruthless. You shot a disapproving glance to Sakura and Naruto, still baffled they thought opening the scroll was a good idea. 

Your sensei turned to the wall behind him, explaining the purpose of the cryptic and tattered writing on the wall. Something about heaven and earth, the rules of Chunin. You tried to listen carefully, but your exhaustion was threatening to take over. You felt your eyelids growing heavy. 

“It’s a Chunin’s responsibility to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of- (Y/N)! Are you even listening to me?” Iruka suddenly yelled, making you jump. 

You smiled apologetically, and bowed your head and mumbling an embarrassed “sorry.” 

The chunin let out a suspicious grunt, and continued what he was saying. 

“As I was saying,” he said slowly, side-eyeing you, “Chunin’s are responsible for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of those serving under him, and to know what skills in training those ninja are going to need in order to succeed in a mission.” 

His eyes surveyed your team, a fatherly glint in his eye. 

“You did an excellent job on this mission, and I want you to remember these instructions on your next one,” he said, smiling at each of you. “Well, that’s it. That’s everything I was supposed to tell you.” 

He smiled contently, but it was clear he still had more to say. Looking to Naruto, he warned him and the rest of you not to take the third exam too far. Unfortunately, Naruto took it personally, and you had to sit through the tense discussion between your former sensei and teammate. 

After the two hashed out their issues, Iruka led the four of you to the next area of the exam. Through a large doorway, you could see the backs of what looked like all the other examinees that passed. Instantly, much to your embarrassment, you felt your heart leap at the sight of a certain green jumpsuit.

_He made it!_

Though he was facing the other way, you could tell it was none other than the green beast himself: Lee. Behind him was another one of his teammates you recognized from an earlier incident, a girl clad in a pink and red top with buns in her hair. In front of him was the other ninja from his team, the one whose coldness reminded you of Sasuke. 

As you approached the group of examinees, you glanced over your remaining competition. Your stomach dropped at the sight of the Sound ninja, a pang of fear running through you and threatening to pause you in your stride. Swallowing thickly, you lowered your gaze, mind racing back to the fight in the forest. Shame spread throughout your chest as you pictured the bloody, beaten bodies of Sakura and Lee on the forest floor, remembering the feeling of helplessness. 

_I can’t ever let something like that happen again._

You sighed heavily, earning a look from Sasuke, but you kept your eyes forward as you walked. It took everything in you to push down the wave of emotions hitting you, but eventually, you willed yourself into an unfeeling state of mind. Thoughts like that will only get in the way right now-- you’d have to deal with it later. 

Your team steadily made their way to the rest of the group, and unconsciously, you found yourself settled between the shoulders of Sasuke and Lee. You tensed at the realization, hoping he wouldn’t notice. Luckily his look of unyielding determination was pointed forward, oblivious to the rest of the world. You followed his line of sight, and spotted a few familiar faces. To the left of you stood Ino, Shikamaru and Choji, while to the right were Hinata, Shino and Kiba. They looked tired, but otherwise fine. 

At the front of the room stood a group of Jonin, including Kakashi and Guy Sensei. In the center of the room, clad in his traditional attire, was the Third Hokage.

The warm feeling you felt in your chest reminded you why he was Hokage. As leader of the Hidden Leaf, he acted as a father to you and everyone else. His presence put you at ease, and your respect for the man was unmatched-- to be standing here, right now, even felt like an honor. You stood straighter, raising you head to stare straight ahead and give him your undivided attention. 

But Anko, the proctor of the second exam, spoke up first.

“Alright, now pay attention,” she shouted assertively. “Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam to you. You better listen carefully, maggots.” 

You jolted at her loud volume, slightly withering at her harsh words. 

_So cruel._

“Lord Hokage, they’re all yours,” she finishes, relenting control. 

With a brief cough, Lord Hokage steps towards the group, looking serious. 

“First before I tell you what the third exam entails, I want to explain something about the test itself,” he states in a gravelly voice, eyeing each of the examinees intently. “Listen closely now, It’s something that all of you need to understand. I’m going to tell you the true purpose of this exam.” 

Your interest is peaked as the Hokage explains the exam was intended to represent a battle between allied nations, and determine the future path you were to follow.

“This exam is a chance for each nation to display the strength of its shinobi, and hence, the strength of the nation itself,” the Hokage added, answering the lingering questions from Naruto and Kiba. “The third exam is a fight for your life, with the pride of your village and your own dreams at stake.” 

You shake your head understandingly, vaguely processing his words. If this test truly was to showcase the strength of your village, then it seemed there was a lot more at stake than just a passing grade. Feeling the pressure of his words weighing on your shoulders, you tried to stay calm. 

The deep, raspy voice of someone with red hair from the front caught you off guard, though. 

“Any test is fine,” he said seriously, impatience lining his words. “Just tell me what the details of the exam are already, I can handle anything you throw at me.” 

His tone sent shivers down your spine, and you felt your eyes growing wide at his boldness. 

_Who is this kid?_

Just as the Hokage was about to tell you the details of the third exam, a figure dropped from the ceiling, prompting a gasp from many of the examinees. Said figure introduced himself as “Hayate Gekko,” and requested to speak with us before the Hokage continued. Relenting, the Hokage motioned forward for the man to say his piece. 

Hayate sputtered and coughed as he turned to you and the rest of the examinees. You grimaced at his discomfort. 

_What, is this guy sick or something?_

“We have to have a preliminary exam before we can move onto the real one,” he said emotionlessly, eyes staring straight ahead. 

“I… huh?” you questioned quietly to yourself, brows furrowed in confusion and disbelief. Glancing to the duck-haired boy beside you, you saw a similar look on his features. 

Behind you, Sakura spoke up, asking why the preliminary exams were needed, something about fairness. But you were hardly listening, instead, choosing to run through a list of possible elimination tactics. 

_Is it going to be some kind of physical test? Am I going to have to fight the other examinees? Am I going to have to fight Kakashi sensei?!_

“If there are any of you who feel you are not in top physical condition,” Hayate said, pausing to deliver an ironic coughing fit, “now is the time for you to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately.” 

You felt yourself sweatdrop at his words. Right now? 

_There’s no way he’s serious. Most of us are hardly standing to begin with, and you’re going to throw us to the wolves?_

Kiba spoke up angrily, causing you to pause at your inner choice of words. 

_Whoops. Not that wolf._

Your eyes nervously glanced over the rest of the examinees, curious to see if anyone would take him up on his offer. 

In the eerie silence that hung over the contemplative examinees, Hayate spoke up again. 

“The winners will be determined by one-on-one combat, sudden death,” he stated boredly, as if that wasn’t the worst possible scenario. Surveying the remaining examinees, it felt like your heart stopped. None of the Sound nin raised their hand, nor did the mysterious group from the Sand Village. 

_I’m really going to have to fight one of these guys? I barely made it out alive with Lee and Sakura helping me in the forest. How am I supposed to beat them on my own?_

Speaking of the bowl-cut bearing boy, you glanced discreetly at him. He looked as determined as ever, eyes focused on his teammate in front of him. He looked deep in thought, brows furrowed and small frown gracing his features. 

A small flurry of butterflies swarmed your stomach as you realized you were staring, but you shooed them away with a shake of your head. 

_Stop it. That’s not what you should be thinking about right now. He doesn’t even know your name._

_~~He is pretty cute though.~~ _

_Shut it!_

Hayate asked once more if anyone felt they weren’t up to the task. 

But a quick movement to your left drew your attention away from the proctor. Sasuke was leaned over in pain, clutching his left shoulder. The rest of your team turned to him quickly, worried and confused. 

“Woah, dude, are you okay?” you ask, hesitantly reaching an arm out to him. He flinched away, and for a moment you almost felt hurt. Lowering your hand, you looked to Sakura and Naruto, who looked just as worried as you. 

“Sasuke, listen,” Sakura said urgently. “You have got to quit. You’ve been like this ever since you tangled with Orochimaru, and it’s getting worse.”

It seems she knows something you don't. ~~What else is new?~~

_Orochi-who? That snake lady in the forest?_

Sakura’s pulled her arms up to her chest, toying nervously with the zipper situated at the top. She lowered her voice, just loud enough that you could hear her. 

“It’s that mark that he put on you, isn’t it?” she asked meekly, almost sounding scared. “You can’t deny it.” 

_Mark? What kind of mark? What is she talking about? And... Snake Lady is a guy?_

Tears suddenly came to her eyes as she looked like she was remembering something, and instantly, you moved closer to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She was shaking. 

“Please--,” she started, hand scrubbing away the tears in her eyes. You rubbed soothing circles on her back, uncertain of what had gotten her so worked up. Nonetheless, it seemed important to her. “Please, Sasuke, quit now before... I don’t know what. I’m scared.”

Suddenly you felt eyes on you. Eyes sweeping to the right, you noticed Lee’s teammate, the one with space buns, looking on in confused curiosity. Your eyes fell back towards the floor and you smiled apologetically, inadvertently apologizing for the interruption as Sakura continued. 

“Come on, you know as well as I do,” she pleaded, hands clasping together. “We are in no condition to keep fighting.” 

“Shut up, Sakura,” Sasuke said hushedly, and you felt anger coursing through you. Here he goes again, with that mouth of his. It seemed Sakura wasn’t taking it, this time, though. 

“You think I’m blind or something?” she asked angrily, leaning forward. You withdrew your hand and crossed your arms in front of your chest.

_Hell yeah, Sakura! Show him who's boss!_

“Will you please be quiet?” Sasuke asked in a slightly nicer tone, perhaps sensing the shift in her mood. Sakura continued to raise her voice, nonetheless. You and Naruto looked on, exchanging a helpless glance. 

“You think I don’t see the suffering you’re going through?” Sakura nearly shouted, but soon grew self-conscious and lowered her voice once more. “I’m sorry, I can’t let you do this to yourself. I’m going to tell them about the mark, then maybe you’ll--”

Sakura’s words fell off just as someone on the other side of the room raised their hand. 

_What?_

“Kabuto?” you asked aloud, just as confused as everyone else. 

“Okay, you got me,” Kabuto relented in a friendly tone. “I’m out.” 

Hayate looked startled that someone actually wanted to quit, turning pages on his clipboard. 

“Kabuto Yakushi of the Leaf Village, right?” he confirmed with the boy, receiving a nod. “Okay, you can go ahead and step back.” 

You looked between Kabuto and Hayate unbelievingly, while Naruto sprung into action. 

“Wait, Kabuto,” he yelled after him, sounding angry and desperate. “You can’t leave! I don’t understand, what’s going on?” 

The silver-haired boy stopped in his stride, turning to Naruto with an apologetic expression. 

“Oh Naruto,” he said, sounding bummed. “I’m sorry, but my body’s just too beat up. Ever since orientation I’ve had no hearing at all in my left ear. To put my life on the line without a break? I can’t do it.” 

Naruto looked down contemplatively, growing quiet. As Kabuto turned to leave, he gave Sasuke a small wave and a kind smile. It made you feel uneasy. 

_Something doesn’t feel right about this._

Each of you stared unmoving at his retreating form, still shocked at his resignation. 

A cough brought your attention back to the exam. Hayate asked if anyone else wanted to quit, and you could tell Sakura was about to raise her hand. Just as she began to extend it upward, her arm was caught in a tight grip and pushed down by Sasuke. 

“Don’t you even think of telling them about this mark,” Sasuke said dangerously, fire in his eyes. 

You glared daggers at him. He didn’t care. 

_How dare he put his hands on her!_

“I don’t get what you’re trying to prove,” Sakura added. “Am I supposed to just stand by and watch you tear yourself apart? I can’t bear to watch.” 

“Then don’t watch, but stay out of it,” Sasuke said hastily. “This has nothing to do with you. I told you before. I am an avenger. For me, this is more than an exam.”

Sakura’s arms dropped to her sides, and you could almost hear her heart breaking in her chest. It made you furious. 

“Am I as strong as I can be? That’s what I want to know,” he added seriously, looking her dead in the eye. “I can only find out by fighting the strongest, the best. And they’re all here. This is the path I walk, and not you or anyone can change that.” 

After a beat of silence, something in you broke. 

“Just what the hell is your problem, Sasuke?” you ask provokingly, stepping forward ahead of Sakura. His eyes switched from her form to yours, an annoyed glint appearing in his eyes. 

“Stay out of it-” he began, but you swiftly cut him off. 

“No, really, what makes you think you have the right to treat her like that? Or anyone, for that matter?” you push, sounding incredulous. Sakura placed a hand on your shoulder, trying to calm you. 

“(Y/n), it’s okay, really-” she starts but you cut her off by removing her hand from your shoulder to hold it in your own, looking her straight in the eye. 

“No, Sakura, it’s not,” you insist gently, trying not to seem aggressive to anyone other than your target. “It’s really not.” 

You drop her hand, eyes returning to the duck-haired brat. 

“You shouldn’t act like such an insensitive jerk no matter _who_ you are.” 

You internally wince at how harsh that sounded. A tense silence crossed over the room before Naruto spoke up.

“Yeah, Sasuke, you don’t really know when to quit, do you?” he asked, baffled. “Sakura’s really only saying all this because she cares about you!” 

“Naruto,” Sasuke answers shortly, competitive grin sneaking up onto his face. “You’re one of the ones I want to fight most.” 

You groan inwardly, pressing a palm to your forehead. 

_That just went in one ear and out the other._

Sakura placed a gentle hand on your back, empathetic smile on her lips. 

“Thank you for sticking up for me, (Y/n),” she says, prompting you to heave a heavy sigh. 

“Anytime, Sakura,” you reply with a smile, settling your hands on your hips. 

Your tired eyes scanned the rest of the room, wondering what the remainder of the examinees had gotten up do during that whole tirade. 

As you looked out, though, your eyes met with a much rounder pair. In your peripheral vision you saw his signature bowl cut reflecting the light from above. You felt your face flush.

 _Why is Lee looking at me?_

You smiled nervously at him, quickly averting your eyes. Sakura noticed your odd behavior. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked lightly, confused. For a moment you forgot she was standing right next to you.

You shook your head, letting out a ~~disappointed~~ laugh. 

_Of course Lee wasn’t looking at me! He must have been looking at Sakura._

“It’s nothing,” you say with a smile, trying to assure her. When you look back, Lee is turned away, staring straight ahead again. 

Your exhausted eyes miss the slight flush dusting over his cheeks, and the curious glance of his bunned teammate switching between the two of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this wasn't supposed to be so long sorry omg 
> 
> also this chapter was supposed to be some prime time Lee interaction but my inner angst took hold instead 
> 
> there will be lots of Lee interaction in the next one, though! believe it!


	8. Clumsy Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke moves onto finals, and you finally get the chance to thank Lee! Not everything always goes as planned, however.

When the neon-green “Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akadō” popped up as the first match on the newly-unveiled screen, you watched as Sakura’s shoulders sank, tears threatening to spill once more. Placing a comforting hand on her back, you watched as Sasuke hid his pain behind a strained grimace. You shook your head. 

_He’s being an idiot. A stubborn idiot._

In reality, you knew why his little outbursts throughout the past day got to you; after months of putting up with each other, it finally felt like you made a little progress with the dark-haired boy. Maybe not a whole lot, but enough to semi-proudly say he was your teammate. 

And maybe you and Sasuke were never particularly close. After all, you weren’t one to bow at his feet and pledge your heart to him-- no, once you saw his nasty personality you hid all your admiration for his skills behind an impenetrable wall. But, despite his callousness, the brooding teenager began to grow on you. You began to find humor in his witty comebacks, and appreciate his grounding force in your team. 

So, perhaps what truly hurt was knowing he felt nothing even resembling friendship towards you after all this time. A painful chord struck within you at the thought, but you pushed it away. 

_Whatever. It doesn’t even matter right now._

“Everyone except the two opponents please make your way to the upper rafters,” Hayate said with a cough, gesturing upward to a railing you hadn’t noticed before. 

The grandeur of the room soon became apparent: a giant carved set of hands and arms at the front of the room, carefully placed stairs and wall panels. It seemed this room was for something important, beyond simply the Chunin exams. 

As the group of examinees dispersed, Kakashi descended from the stairs towards your team, leaning towards Sasuke in what looked like a private conversation. Not wanting to intrude, you lead Sakura up the steps to the left onto the railed platform, followed by Naruto. After finishing their exchange, your sensei ascended the staircase agonizingly slow. 

_Kakashi Sensei sure loves to take his time, huh?_

Looking farther down the line you notice Guy Sensei’s team lining up beside yours. You watch as the team falls into what you presume is their usual dynamic, with Lee standing eagerly at the front awaiting the match’s start, the violet-hued boy leaned boredly against the wall behind him, and the girl with space buns leaning onto the railing, hand under her chin. 

Ignoring the nervous feeling rising in your stomach at both the upcoming match and the green-clad boy beside you, you mirror her, stoic demeanor appearing bored as Sasuke and his opponent ready themselves. 

As Hayate announces the beginning of the match, you let out a heavy sigh. 

_Please don’t get yourself hurt, Saskue. Sakura’s already worried enough._

You steal a glance at the pink-haired kunoichi beside you, who is anxiously pulling her arms to her chest out of habit. To your other side, Naruto is crouching down, holding the bars like some kind of monkey. You idly bring up you other hand, biting your thumb nail. 

The match starts out pretty normal-- Sasuke and the other guy, Yoroi, each get a few hits in, nothing too bad. Sasuke even takes the guy down at one point, in an impressive show of his reflexes. But soon the fight took a turn for the worst; while Sasuke may have pinned down his opponent, Yoroi had a few tricks of his own. From his pinned position, he reached out and planted a hand on Sasuke’s chest. The blue light flowing from Yoroi’s hand gave you a bad feeling. Your brow furrows, worry cracking your resting bitch. 

_You have to get out of there quick, Sasuke. Whatever that is can’t be good._

Soon Yoroi was pounding a fist into Sasuke’s chest, maneuvering quickly to his feet. But Sasuke laid still, arm twitching to his side. Standing up, your back straightened in alarm, hands gripping the railing tightly. 

_Just what the hell did that guy just do to you?_

To either side, you felt the growing unrest of your teammates. They must be just as unnerved as you are. 

Eventually, Sasuke makes it to his feet again, the lingering effect of whatever Yoroi’s move was wearing off. Sluggishly, your teammate moves forward, barely managing to dodge the incoming onslaught of attacks from his opponent. It doesn’t take long for Sasuke to be back on the ground, Yoroi’s hand gripping tightly to his unwashed head. In an instant, Sasuke’s moves are stifled once again. Helplessly, he sat agonizingly still as Yoroi seemingly sucked every trace of energy from his body. 

“C’mon, Sasuke,” you mutter quietly, eyes watching the boy intently. “Get up.” 

Naruto echoes your sentiment, anger lacing his voice. 

“Sasuke, is that all you’ve got?! Don’t let this guy beat you!” he shouted, his voice filling the silent room.

Moments later, Sasuke is pushing Yoroi off of him and clambering to his feet. He shoots a dirty look to the nine-tailed boy, eyes widening a moment later in what looks like realization. 

In a sudden burst of energy, Sasuke is moving rapidly around the room, hardly visible. A confused Yoroi is hit seconds later with a sharp kick to his jaw, sending him upward in an oddly familiar show of power. As Sasuke moved behind his body in the air, you knew where you recognized the move. 

_Is that…?! Lee’s moves!_

An unbelieving chuckle left your lips as you gazed upon the boy mid-air, who seemed to be preparing for the final blow of the move. But suddenly, he’s looking pained, body going unnaturally stiff. As a reddish-yellow mark begins to move over his pale skin you almost don’t believe what you’re seeing. Perhaps if you weren’t paying as close attention you would have missed it. 

Open-mouthed and wide-eyed, you stare unabashedly until the mark is gone just as quickly as it appeared. As Sasuke finishes off his opponent, you’re left dumbfounded as to what you really just saw. 

_Did I actually just see that? Or was I imagining it?_

Your confused gaze is soon chased away by the visual of Sasuke doing a floppy, shitty backflip from exhaustion. As he laid there, unmoving next to his opponent, you held in your inappropriate laughter by pressing a hand to your mouth. But once he was standing, declared the winner, all was fair game. 

“Hey, Sasuke!” Naruto yelled, leaning over the railing. “Way to win in such an uncool way! You came out looking like you’re the one who got beat up!” 

Naruto’s words sent you into a fit of joyous laughter, and you put an arm on the orange nin to steady yourself. 

“D-did you just s-see that backflip?!” you force out through your laughter, which only succeeded in bringing on another wave of enjoyment as Naruto laughed with you. Sasuke muttered something, but you could hardly hear as you worked to settle yourself down once more. 

“Whew--” you blew out, a hand reaching up to wipe the amused tears from your eyes. You shot your teammate a thumbs up. “Good job, Sasuke!” 

Despite your initial laughter, your compliment sounded genuine. But soon Kakashi appeared behind Sasuke in a puff of smoke, propping up the exhausted boy with his knee. As the medics insisted they tend to Sasuke, Kakashi brushed them off, and ushered the boy out of the room by himself. Sasuke’s hand was rubbing his shoulder again, and once your laughter died down and preparations were being made for the next match, all that was left was a feeling of utter confusion. 

_Just what was that during the fight?_

Naruto beats you to the punch. 

“Hey, maybe I’m just crazy, but did you guys see any weird markings on Sasuke during the fight?” he asks, clearly just as confused as you are. Stepping back from the railing, you crossed your arms over your chest, nodding your head at the boy. 

“Yeah, they were like this orangey-yellow color, right?” you ask in return, receiving an affirming nod from Naruto. You two both simultaneously look to Sakura, who seems a little shocked. 

“What mark? I didn’t see it,” she responds softly. For a moment, you believe her. That is, until you notice her hand fidgeting with the side of her dress. 

_She’s hiding something._

Looking to Naruto, though, he immediately dismisses his previous accusation with a simple “oh, okay,” and turns back to the arena floor. Sakura’s word was gospel to him, after all. You maintained eye contact with Sakura for a few more seconds, making sure she knew of your suspicions. But after a moment, she nervously turned away. Your eyes lingered on her form for a second before returning to the area in front of you. 

_If she doesn’t want to tell me, there’s probably a good reason for it._

Your rationalizations didn’t stop you from feeling at least a little hurt, though. She was your best friend, after all. 

Your pity party did not last for long, however, as Hayate announced he was moving onto the next match. You watched in anticipation as the names flickered onto the screen, finally revealing the pairing: “Zaku Abumi vs. Shino Aburame.” 

You didn’t know Shino all that well, but you did attend the academy with him. You knew what he was capable of, and to be honest, it kind of scared you. But still. As the sound nin, Zaku, began to move from his place on the railing, you couldn’t help but feel anxious for the kid. 

_Good luck, Shino. Kick his ass for me._

Speaking of the vile sound nin, your mind was brought back down to earth at the memory of the taijutsu prodigy standing no more than four feet away from you. 

You felt your stomach drop to the floor. You wanted to thank him for his help in the Forest of Death, and apologize. For what, you couldn’t really pin down, but the idea sounded right. If not for your shortcomings as a ninja, he probably wouldn’t have gotten hurt. 

_There. I just need to say that._

Easier said than done. As you glanced at the bushy-browed boy from behind, you saw his pristine posture that screamed “confidence.” He looked focused on the scene ahead of him, though there wasn’t much to see. The next two opponents hadn’t even descended the stairs yet. 

_Is now a good time?_

You swallowed thickly, uncertain. 

_Well, it’s as good a time as any._

Shakily, you stepped forward, reaching out a trembling hand to tap his shoulder. 

“Excuse me,” you said quietly, trying to push confidence into your voice. Not too much, though, you didn’t want to come off as pushy. 

_Geez, overthink much?_

The green-clad boy turned curiously, a soft “hm?” escaping his downward-turned lips. His usual determined glance gave way to a look of slight surprise, eyebrows raised. You felt your heart skip a beat at the sudden attention, and your breath began to grow shorter as you conjured up your next words. 

“Hi, sorry,” you started, smiling apologetically as you withdrew your hand. “Do, uh… do you have a second?” 

You hated how weak your voice sounded, buried beneath a wall of nerves. It felt like your throat was starting to constrict. 

_Damn it, (Y/n), get it together!_

The boy swivelled his head around once more to survey the arena before turning back to you, in all your anxious glory. 

“Sure!” the boy said happily, nodding his head. “The next match has not started yet, so now would be a good time to chat.” 

You nodded your head in agreeance, stepping back slightly to put a little more room between the two of you. Much to your chagrin, he moved a step back with you, leaving your nerves as frazzled as they were before. 

_This is ridiculous. I’m a shinobi, talking to some kid should be easy._

_~~But he’s not just some kid! He tried to my save life.~~ _

_Tried and failed._

_~~Still.~~ _

You smiled, willing the nervousness out of your system. 

_I can do this!_

“I just wanted to-” you start, only to be stopped a moment later. 

“Actually, I do not-,” Lee began, eyes widening a fraction when he realized he accidentally cut you off. “I am sorry. I did not mean to interrupt you, but I do not believe we have been properly introduced.”

Instantly his stance widened, one arm settling on his waist while the other rose up to rest right underneath his chin. 

“I am Rock Lee, handsome devil of the Leaf Village!” he said, the determination in his eyes switching to curiosity as he looked at you expectantly. “And you are?” 

You felt your cheeks flush at his unexpected flashiness, taken back a bit. After taking a second to gather yourself, you let out a small chuckle at his actions, placing your hands on your hips. 

“I’m (F/n) (L/n), rising kunoichi of the Leaf Village! It’s very nice to meet you,” you said with a playful smile and a quirk of your brow. After a second of stunned silence from the boy, you began to panic. 

_Shit, did I say something wrong? Was that rude of me?!_

Your fears were put to rest when you heard his ~~adorable~~ laughter a moment later. Feeling relief, you let out a small laugh yourself, but the feeling of eyes on you soon sobered you back to your original goal.

“It is very nice to meet you, too, (Y/n)! What did you want to talk about?” Lee asked, head tilting slightly to the side. 

_~~Oh, shit. That’s cute. He really is like a puppy.~~ _

Letting out a small sigh, you let your tense shoulders relax a little. 

“I, uh,” you started shakily, cursing your sudden lack of resolve. “I just wanted to thank you... for your help in the forest, I mean.” 

When the boy didn’t respond, you continued in quiet panic, rambling as you felt your face grow hot. 

“It’s just… I don’t think we would have made it here if it wasn’t for you,” you rushed to clarify, smiling just briefly before continuing again. “I’m glad to see your team made it, and I’m... looking forward to seeing you in action again.” 

As you registered your words, your mind went blank. Sure, that’s what you meant, but that wasn’t how you were planning on saying it! It was going to be something more subtle, like “let’s do our best” or “see you in the final rounds.” You stared in surprise at the wide-eyed boy, who now had a small flush rising to his cheeks. 

… 

_Did I really just say that?... Oh, Kami._

_Wow, is it hot in here?_

“I, um, anyway...” you began, desperately scrambling for some way to recover. Luckily, Lee had your back. 

“I appreciate your praise, but I believe I should be the one thanking you,” Lee said earnestly, meeting your surprised look with one of gentle honesty. “Without you, I likely would have suffered worse injuries at the hands of those skilled Sound ninja. Your tactic to distract the enemy was very useful, even if it did not end well for either of us!” 

You swear you could have felt your heart stop. You blinked at the boy, unable to process his words. 

_Wait… did he just… did he just thank me? And compliment me?!_

You laugh awkwardly, nervously scratching the back of your head. 

“I think that was more Sakura’s idea, but, uh, thank you,” you say meekly, feeling unworthy of his words. 

He smiles at you happily, outstretching a hand to your shoulder. You freeze at the contact. 

“Of course!” he says confidently, unaware of the effect of his actions. As a moment of silence passed over the two of you, he looked to the arena once more. 

“Oh!” he said in excitement, moving his hand from your shoulder to rest on his hip. “It seems the next match is starting! We should pay attention, as these could be our very own opponents in the finals!” 

You nodded your head idly, thankful he removed his hand when he did. Otherwise, you’d be red beyond repair. 

As the boy approached the railing, he took his place once more beside his teammate and Naruto. You returned to your place between Naruto and Sakura, and in your peripheral vision, you saw Lee’s head turn your direction as you reached your spot on the railing; instinctually, you glanced to the left, and saw his doe-eyes pointed towards you. 

You met his eyes and smiled, and he gave you a small determined nod, turning his attention back to the unfolding match. 

When he looked away, you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. 

Sakura joined you, looking nervous as she watched the sound nin from the forest approach Shino. You let out a breathless laugh, crossing your arms once more. 

“Long time no see, huh?” you ask jokingly, gesturing to the sound nin. She nodded with a grunt. 

“I hope this ends well,” she says worriedly. 

You smile, muttering a “me too” as you silently pray for Shino to show him who’s boss. 

Thankfully, after just a minute or two of struggle, he does just that with the help of his Bug Bros. 

You find yourself thinking something you never thought would cross your mind: 

_Thank Kami for Shino._


	9. Kan(kuro)tankerous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally your turn to fight! Unfortunately, you're going up against Kankuro. Who will win, and at what cost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: blood, broken bones, minor injuries, major injuries

Following Shino’s short-lived battle, a new set of names appeared on the screen: “(F/n) (L/n) vs. Kankuro.” 

As your heart rate began to pick up, your eyes searched the rafters for your opponent. His name didn’t sound familiar, at least not to you. (E/c) orbs settled on a cloaked figure making his way towards the stairs, an item wrapped in bandages on his back. 

_That must be Kankuro._

Taking in a deep breath, you shot a grin to your teammates, whose eyes were now settled on you. 

“I guess I’m up!” you said with a smile, forcing down the anxiety rising in your throat. Sakura patted you on your shoulder, sending you a much warmer, genuine smile. 

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” she said, meeting your subtly nervous gaze. “Just be careful.” 

You nodded, taking a deep breath as you turned towards the stairs. Naruto’s hand landed a hard slap on your back, making you jump a little at the sudden contact. 

“Yeah, (Y/n), I know you can kick that guy’s butt!” Naruto shouted, his signature grin adorning his face. You let out a breathless laugh at his boldness, but internally, you couldn’t help but grimace. 

_God, I hope that Kankuro guy didn’t just hear that._

“Thanks, guys,” you say, beginning your walk to the stairs. After a few steps, though, another familiar voice called out to you. 

“Good luck, (Y/n)-san!” Lee said, brandishing a fist proudly. “I am confident in your abilities!” 

If you had turned around any slower, you would have missed his wink at the end. Thank god for your ninja speed. You felt the beginning of a blush blooming, but willed it away. Now was not the time to overthink things-- you had a fight to win! 

“Thank you, Lee, I’ll do my best!” you say back, giving him a thumbs up. The small nod and determined smile you receive in return fills you with fire as you begin descending the staircase. 

As you approached Hayate and the boy you now knew as Kankuro, you inhaled deeply one more time, trying to center yourself. 

_Okay, I can’t screw this up. I won’t let my friends down again._

Now standing roughly 15 feet away, the features of your opponent were more prevalent. He wore a cloak with sleeves and a hood with pointed ears, coupled with purple face paint and a Sand Village headband. His pants gave way to a normal pair of sandals, while his hands were sporting fingerless gloves. He was taller than you, that much you could tell, but you weren’t sure by how much. 

The large package he was toting on his back had a tuft of hair sticking out of the top that you hadn’t noticed before. You wondered what was in there, but figured you’d find out soon enough. The rafters across from you held two sets of eyes that bore into you intently, grating on your nerves. One of them was from the red-haired boy you heard earlier, while the other was from a pointy-haired kunoichi with what looked like a fan on her back. 

_Ugh. Why are they staring? Let’s get this over with._

“If both opponents are ready, the match may begin,” Hayate said, sounding disinterested. 

Stepping back, Hayate’s bored words sprung you and Kankuro into action.  
“Let me do you a favor and end this battle quickly,” Kankuro said, removing the bandaged pack from his back and propping it up on the ground with his right hand. 

“Gladly,” you shot back, drawing a kunai from the pouch strapped to your leg. You bolted towards Kankuro, form inching lower to the ground in an attempt to gain some leverage. 

_I need to end this fight as quick as I can. If I can stop him from using whatever is in that bandaged bag, I’ll probably have a better chance._

As you grew closer, an idea popped into your head. 

_Maybe… if I can get that bag away from him, it’s possible he can’t use it._

Unfortunately, you didn’t have much time to contemplate whether or not the idea bubbling in your brain was a good one, so you just went for it. 

Just inches away from Kankuro, you ducked under his left arm as it swung towards you and dove into the opening between his right arm and the bag. Extending an arm outward, you hooked it into the straps situated towards the back of the bag and yanked, catching him off guard at the last second. 

Somehow, it seemed your plan worked. Just barely out of the shinobi’s reach, you heaved the bag into both hands and sent chakra to the bottom of your feet to try and help you gain traction as you ran. The bag in your arms was heavy, way too heavy, as you sprinted, almost causing you to drop it as you dodged Kankuro’s attacks from behind. While you had been through extensive weight training in your journey to become a ninja, it was never quite this intense. Your arms were getting tired. 

_I just have to get it out of reach. That’s all. Then I can deal with him._

When you felt you were just far enough from Kankuro, you came to a spinning stop as you swung the bag around you. Just as your body was turning to the exit door, you released the heavy weight in your hands along with the kunai you were still holding. 

Lost in the moment, you failed to notice a kunai-wielding hand emerge from the wrapped bag, swinging wildly in your direction. A singular, deep slice was carved into your skin as the bag flew towards the door, landing a good 15 feet away as it tumbled and rolled. 

“Agh!” you yelled, a hand clutching your cheek as the blood spilled down, slicking your hands. Your eyes searched desperately for your opponent’s form before a pair of arms tumbling towards you impossibly fast came into view. Too quick to dodge, too unpredictable to fight off. Your hands instantly began signing the only solution you could think of: substitution. 

You finished signing the jutsu as soon as the oddly wooden-looking arms began closing in around your figure, narrowly escaping his clutches. As the arms engulfed your substitution, you hopped quickly to the other side of the room, landing roughly 10 feet away. 

In the moment it took for Kankuro to realize your trick, you lunged for his still-moving figure from behind, gripping his shoulder with one hand and his head with the other as you pushed him forward with all the force you could muster. The next moment, Kankuro was skidding face-down against the ground towards a wall. As he came to a stop, he sat there, unmoving, arms still in their strange, extended state. You let out a breath, and a heavy silence settled over the room. 

_Guess that’s it. Who would’ve thought I could-_

A cracking from beneath you broke your train of thought, sending you back on high-alert. Suddenly, the cloaked figure of the boy began shifting beneath you, growing almost. His head whipped around unnaturally, his cracked facade revealing a wooden interior and a round, unnerving eye. His face looked stiff, doll-like. 

“Now it’s my turn,” the face said menacingly, mouth hardly moving as its arms rose upward. “So say goodbye!” 

You reacted as quickly as you could, pushing yourself off the mannequin-boy in an attempt to summon another substitution, but he was too fast, his wooden appendages capturing your wrist in a tight, bone-crushing grip. You shouted out in pain as his hold grew tighter and tighter, kicking and clawing at the wooden arm to try and free yourself. You screamed again as a sudden crack from your wrist sent a tsunami of pain throughout your body. It felt like you were going to explode. The surprised and worried shouts from your friends up above fell on deaf ears as your pain overwhelmed you. 

If your peripheral vision, despite the painful tears welling in your eyes, you saw a figure begin to emerge from the bandaged bag resting towards the exit door. In a flurry of bandages, the bag dispersed, revealing the real Kankuro crouched on the ground. Flicking your eyes back to what must presumably be the fake Kankuro, you now notice a large, wooden doll in his place, with a wild mane of hair and two retractable arms, one of which was still fastened around your broken wrist, and the other now racing towards your weakened form. 

As the wooden arms began to surround you once more, you shakily began to do the signs for your barrier jutsu. In this moment, it was all you could think of. But with a broken wrist, one hand wasn’t cooperating. Your undamaged hand fumbled clumsily to move the fingers on your broken hand into the appropriate signs, each move sending sharp pricks of pain up through your arm. You tried to grin and bear it, but a few muffled, painful whimpers escaped your lips. Tears finally dripped down your cheeks, but for an entirely different reason. 

_This is it. This is the end. I’ve disappointed everyone, including myself, and now I’m going to die._

Your mind wandered back to all the times your friends have put their faith in your for one reason or another; whether it was finishing a mission, helping with a favor or simply being there for them, you did it all. But now, when you needed to help yourself, you weren’t strong enough. 

Memories flashed by in muted shades of grey, reminding you of the boy you once called your brother. You weren't strong enough back then, either. 

_Weak. I’m weak, and pathetic. I don’t deserve to be here. I don’t deserve to be a ninja._

A heartbroken sob escaped your lips at the realization. 

You heard the laughter of your opponent ringing in your ears as the arms of his wooden doll began to tighten around you, making it hard to breathe. You wheezed, arms now pressed close to your body as you still tried pitifully to sign for your barrier jutsu. 

“That was a nice little trick you tried to pull,” Kankuro said, crouched form turning towards your suffocating one. “Too bad you were too stupid to pull it off.” 

You faintly noticed a slew of blue tendrils extending from the boy’s fingers to the body of the mannequin holding you in place. 

_Chakra strings?_

As an idea hit you, your hands moved desperately, shaking horribly, as you tried to form the final hand sign. If those were, indeed, chakra strings, perhaps you could get yourself out of this. But, you were starting to get light-headed, and the dark spots in your vision were growing larger. 

“Anyway, I’ve had my fun,” Kankuro said, rising to his feet. “It’s time for you to d-”

As the last few words tumbled from his mouth, a thunderous roar shook the building. His eyes widened in surprise as a large, curved platform quickly began to rise from the ground beneath his feet, shooting him upward towards the tall ceiling of the exam room. Just as the first platform rose, a larger, cylindrical one rose around it, creating a hollow cylinder. 

As the two platforms hit the roof of the room in tandem, the grip of the wooden mannequin loosened, releasing you from its crutches. You coughed and sputtered, trying to regain your breath. Hastily, you tried to put some distance between you and the wooden doll. As you clumsily made your way into a standing position, you ran towards the front of the room, cradling your broken wrist. Panting, you surveyed the room, looking for any sign of the boy. 

You knew there was a good chance he wasn’t dead. After all, the platforms were intended to get him away from you, away from his puppet, to hopefully sever the invisible ties he used to control it, not to kill him. Eyes darting around the room, you were beginning to get nervous at the sudden radio silence. 

Looking to the rafters, your eyes caught those of your comrades and friends. Each looked stunned, some looking to you, others to the barrier you created. You looked down at your pathetic form, covered in blood, dirt and tears, bruised and beaten. 

_I probably look like shit_

You felt like shit, too, to say the least.

The amount of chakra it took to create a barrier that large and quick-moving was nothing to scoff at-- to you, at least. You can’t remember a time you ever pushed yourself that hard, or even used so much chakra all at once. 

_Maybe it’s because I thought I was about to die._

After what felt like hours, but must have been less than a minute, Hayate spoke up from behind you. 

“Since it appears their opponent is unable to continue, (Y/n) is the winner,” he announced. 

He was met with an eerily silent room, likely still full of shocked examinees. A cry of praise from Naruto broke the silence, easing away the tension a little. 

“Way to go, (Y/n)! I told you you’d kick his butt!” he shouted, giggling. 

You smiled tiredly, watching as the medics entered the exam room. Rushing over to you, one of the men asked if you’d like to be carried out on the stretcher, but you declined. You still needed to preserve some dignity. 

As your form exited the room with the medics, Lee looked on in wonder, mouth slightly agape. He had no idea this is what you were capable of. 

Little did he know, neither did you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one was so fight-heavy! i originally planned to breeze past reader's fight, but after some consideration, i felt like it would be useful to the plot!


	10. Fractured Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get that wrist fixed! Afterward, you start feeling a little weird. Is this what jealousy feels like?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: broken bones, swelling, resetting bones, blood, shots, needles

Following the fight with Kankuro, a team of medics lead you to an in-house treatment facility within the exam building. From what you could tell, this area was intended for less serious injuries, such as your own. There were few white cots and cabinets scattered throughout the room, and as instructed, you chose a cot at random and laid down, closing your eyes. 

It’s been about twenty minutes since your fight ended, you think, but without a clock it’s hard to know for sure. Distant bangs and rumbles meet your ear, a sign that the preliminaries are back on track. Someone must have deconstructed the barrier you made. You wonder if your opponent made it out unscathed, but given you didn’t see him here with you, you figured that was the case. 

Your pain settled in tenfold as the adrenaline from your fight began to wear off. Looking down to your wrist, it’s clear this was no small break; the pink and purple swelling made your wrist incredibly painful to touch, much less move. After some preliminary tests to make sure you weren’t suffering from any other injuries, the medic in charge of you set to healing your wrist. 

The man before you, clad in white, laid his soft, brown eyes on your injured form. 

“That’s one nasty injury you’ve got there, miss,” he said gently, hands slowly reaching towards your wrist. “May I take a closer look?” 

You extended your arm out to him, wincing slightly as he ran his fingers over the swelling. He didn’t seem to notice, though, as he focused his attention intently to your wrist. After a few moments, he pulled away, rummaging in one of the cabinets nearest him. He pulled out a small bottle, and fished out a circular white pill. 

“It would appear your wrist is broken,” he explained, trained eyes meeting yours. “Aside from one major break, there are also a number of bone fragments surrounding the fracture.” 

You shook your head, figuring as much. His eyes turned serious. 

“Unfortunately, medical jutsu on its own cannot heal or realign the bone fragments,” he said slowly, almost in emphasis. “The best I can do at the moment is reset the bone and give you a splint to stabilize the fragments. We will need to transfer you to Konoha Hospital for a more complete diagnosis, but it is likely your wrist will require surgery to properly re-align each of the fragments.” 

The word “surgery” made your mouth run dry. 

_Surgery? How long will that take to heal?_

But, more importantly, you had teammates starting their fights soon. You wanted to support them, just like they had supported you. 

_I’ve got to get out there soon or else I’m going to miss it._

“How long will it take to reset the bone?” you ask, hoping not to seem impatient. 

Your medic laughs lightly, as if reading your mind. 

“Eager to go see your friends, huh?” he asks genuinely, and you nod. “Well, it shouldn’t take too long. Given the location of the fracture, I should be able to give you a local anesthetic to numb the area surrounding the bone, and resetting it after that is fairly quick." 

He gives you a stern, fatherly eye, and you nod your head in anticipation. 

“Good,” he finishes, reaching a closed fist out to your uninjured palm and placing the small, white pill there. “You’ll need to take this before I can do anything. It’s a calcium pill, which makes it easier to begin the healing process. Take it just like you would a food pill.” 

You quickly pop the pill in your mouth, giving it a swift _crunch_ before swallowing it down. The medic nodded approvingly, before placing his hands gently onto your wrist again. 

“Now, I’m going to work on reducing the swelling and healing your remaining wounds while that kicks in,” he says, gloved hand hovering above the puffy skin. “Let me know if you feel any pain.” 

You nod, and he focuses his eyes onto the fracture. A green light begins to radiate from his palm as he hovers over the afflicted area, and within a few moments you see the swelling reduce dramatically. After a minute or two, he pulls back, and it seems your wrist almost looks normal. After finishing with your wrist he moved up to the forgotten cut on your arm, and you watched as the skin slowly rebuilt its fibers. All that remained was a thin scar. His hand travelled to the old bruises on your face and arms, and even the visible ones on your legs. You let out a sound of wonder as the purple-green spots fade away, and hear him chuckle as he turns back to one of the cabinets, emerging with a shot and some alcohol wipes. 

You feel your stomach lurch at the sight of the needle, but quickly push the fear down. 

_C’mon, (Y/n), it’s just a shot. You’re a ninja, and you’re afraid of a little needle?! Don’t be a baby._

Still, you swallowed roughly as the medic swabbed an area on your arm, uncapping the needle as he poised himself to administer whatever was in his hand. 

“This is an anesthetic,” he explained again, looking to you firmly. “It’s going to hurt for a moment, but it will make the entire procedure less painful afterward. Ready?” 

You nodded again, swallowing thickly. As he injected the needle, you felt a sharp pinch, which only worsened as he released the anesthetic into your arm. You gripped tightly to the side of the cot with your good hand, panicked sweat threatening to drop. As he removed the needle, you let out a relieved sigh. 

“That should only take a few minutes to set in, then we will continue,” he said, turning around to complete what looked like other preparations for your procedure. 

As the minutes passed, you sat staring at the ceiling. 

_I wonder who’s fighting now._

Eventually the medic returned to your side, performing a series of pinching and poking tests to ensure you couldn't feel your wrist. 

“Nope, can’t feel a thing,” you laughed out, thankful one shot of anesthetic was enough. 

“Alright then, you can sit up now,” he began, sitting in a chair beside your cot. With your good arm you shuffled yourself into a sitting position. “I’m going to do a few more checks, then reset the bone. Would you like me to tell you before I do?” 

You thought for a moment, then shook your head no. 

_I prefer the element of surprise. Really spices things up._

“Alright then,” he said, nodding. You closed your eyes and turned you head up to the ceiling once more, hopefully avoiding whatever gross thing that was about to happen. 

You felt your shoulder move, and then a _snap_. Flinching, you closed your eyes tightly, shielding them further with your uninjured arm.

 _Oh, no! It’s happening!_

You heard the man laugh again, standing from his chair. In confusion, you peeked out from your arm and looked over to the man, then back down to your wrist. 

“Is… is it over?!” you asked in wide-eyed confusion. The small “mhm” from the medic with his back to you prompted a breathless laugh, and you relaxed your uninjured arm to your side. 

“Pretty painless, right?” the medic asked, turning back to you with a smile. 

“Yeah,” you laughed out again, watching him as he took his seat beside you. You watched as unwrapped a wrist splint, carefully nestling your wrist into it and tightening the straps. After just a few minutes, you were good to go. 

“This splint is only a temporary solution,” the medic said as you swung your feet over the side of the cot. “While you are free to watch your friends, you will need to report here as soon as the preliminaries are complete. We still need to transport you to Konoha Hospital to get your wrist fully assessed.” 

He hit you with that fatherly gaze once again, and you nodded for what felt like the tenth time. 

“Thank you so much,” you said, standing to your feet. “I’ll be here as soon as the final match is complete.” 

_In the meantime, though…_

“Do you happen to know where I could find a restroom?” you asked sheepishly, eyes searching the room. 

He smiled, pointing towards the door. 

“Out the door to the left,” he said, and you thanked him once more before taking your leave. 

True to his word, as you exited the room, there was a bathroom immediately to your left. You could only imagine what horrors awaited you in the bathroom mirror. 

Opening the door, you warily stepped to the sink, slowly raising your eyes to the reflective glass. 

_Ew, what?_

You grimaced as your eyes glanced over the dried dirt and blood coating your face and clothes. Turning you head side to side, you could only wonder what you looked like before he healed all of your old bruises. 

You turn on the sink water and set to rinsing off your face and neck to the best of your ability. With only one hand, it took a while before you finally felt happy with your mostly clean complection, but you got there, eventually. You grab a cloth from near the sink and pat your skin dry before moving to adjust your hair. At the moment, it looked like a rats nest; after taking down your ponytail, you gently finger-brushed your (h/c) locks and smoothed your roots down with a little water. You admired your handiwork as you looked in the mirror. 

_There. All better._

You reached one hand back to begin trying to remake your ponytail before realizing your mistake; you only had one hand. 

_Shit._

After struggling with some way to make the ordeal work, you eventually gave up. 

Looks like it’s just going to have to stay down for now. 

You brushed your bangs into a more presentable position before exiting the bathroom with a sigh. 

Back into the fray, it is. 

As you approached the exam room, a distinct lack of noise unsettled you. 

_Maybe they’re just waiting to start the next match._

Growing closer to the door, however, you notice Shikamaru pitted in the center of the arena. His opponent, which appears to be a kunoichi from another village, is trapped in that shadow jutsu of his. After some clever maneuvering, a shuriken is sent flying toward each opponent, but only Shikamaru manages to successfully dodge-- meanwhile, his opponent slams herself into the wall behind her, seeming to knock herself out in the process. You smirked as you stood near the doorway, propping up your uninjured hand on your waist. 

_Classic Shikamaru._

As Genma announced the match had come to a close, with Shikamaru winning, you made your way into the room and up the stairs to regroup with your teammates. As your eyes searched for your pink-haired friend, you found her seated with her back to the wall, chatting away with the blonde beside her, Ino. Both looked a little worse for wear, but alright, nonetheless. 

_Dang, looks like Sakura already had her match. Who did she fight? Did she win?!_

When Sakura saw you, she called your name, excusing herself from Ino as she came to meet you. 

“Hey!” you said back, eyes looking over her form worriedly. “Did you already have your match?” 

She looked bashfully to the floor, scratching the back of her head idly. 

“Yeah, I was against Ino,” she said with a breathless laugh. “It was a tie.” 

You blink in surprise, wondering what the hell that could mean, but shrug it off. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay! I wish I could have seen your match,” you say apologetically, watching as her eyes trail down to your wrist. 

“That’s okay, you were a little preoccupied,” she says quietly, nervously raising her arms to her chest. “But what about you? What did they say about your arm?” 

It’s your turn to laugh nervously. 

“Oh, they just said my wrist’s broken,” you say nonchalantly, trying to brush it off. “They’re taking me to the hospital after the preliminaries, but said I’m fine to stay and watch for now.” 

Her eyes go wide at your words, and you immediately sense her alarm. 

“What, broken?!” she says worriedly, stepping closer to examine your arm. You lift it up for her to see, wincing a bit at the movement. “The finals are in a month. What are you going to do?” 

You sigh again, putting your arm back down to your side. 

“I don’t really know yet,” you say truthfully with a shrug. “I haven’t really thought about it. I won’t know anything for sure until I head to the hospital.”

Sakura hesitates, but nods understandingly. In the silence that ensues, the screen behind the arena begins spinning once more before revealing the next match: Naurto vs. Kiba. 

In an instant your yellow-haired teammate is rushing past, skidding to a stop as he recognizes you. 

“(Y/n)?! You’re back! What happened to your arm?” he asks with simultaneous excitement and confusion, scratching his head. You laughed at his actions, waving him off with your good hand. 

“It’ll be fine,” you say dismissively, trying not to hold him up. “Good luck in your match!” 

He giggles at you, shouting a “thanks” before rushing down the stairs and into the arena where Kiba was already waiting. 

You and Sakura return to your normal viewing spots, ready to watch the next match. 

“(Y/n)-chan, it is good to see you have bounced back after such a riveting match!” a voice says from beside you, making you jump a little at the suddenness. Turning to your left, you notice Lee standing with his hands on the railing, head turned your direction. 

You smile in return, letting out a quiet laugh at his enthusiasm. 

“Thanks, Lee,” you say, eyes trailing down to the arena, where formalities are being covered for the opponents. “I just wish I could have been back sooner. I was hoping I could watch Sakura’s match.” 

“It was an interesting match, indeed! Sakura portrayed such strength and beauty, truly the embodiment of youth!” he shouted, looking around you to Sakura. You swear you could see the hearts in his eyes. 

You’re not sure why, but his words seemed to strike a chord within you. Something sad, maybe a little resentful. 

_Am… am I jealous of Sakura?_

It wouldn’t be the first time you felt truly outshined by your pink-haired friend. Despite her insecurities, she’s always been beautiful and smart. That’s something you’ve both admired and envied her for. But after a while, you figured that if you can’t beat her, you may as well join her. 

Even so, those feelings of inferiority were never truly gone, merely masked, ignored for the sake of your friendship. You knew it was better that way, no matter how much it hurt. 

You ignore the feeling of dejection growing in your chest for now, settling to deal with it later as you shined a bright smile to the kunoichi. 

“Typical Sakura, if you ask me!” you laughed out, grinning when you saw the embarrassment light up on her cheeks. 

Before she got the chance to respond, the match in front of you was set into motion. 

You leaned your good arm onto the railing, trying your best to stay engaged with the fight. 

But somewhere, in the recesses of your mind, you couldn’t help feeling hurt. By what, you weren’t sure, but that didn’t matter. The feeling remained all the same. 

_Feelings suck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one was kind of bogged down by the whole broken wrist thing, and please excuse any inaccuracies lmao... next up is Lee's match against Gaara!


	11. Broken Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two dear friends end up down for the count. How will you cope? Will your time in the Forest of Death come back to haunt you, or leave you be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: blood, broken bones, mentions of death

The next two matches were interesting, to say the least. Naruto’s match against Kiba was wrought with twists and turns that even you, his teammate, didn’t see coming, like his layered transformation technique or what he called his “Uzumaki Combo.” The fact that he was getting better right before your eyes was both inspiring and frustrating; it seemed your own progress never happened so quickly, but his endless drive pushed you to try even harder to keep up. 

As the match came to a close, you felt pride well up in your chest; you couldn’t help but give Naruto a shout of encouragement. 

“Way to go, Naruto!” you yelled encouragingly, shooting him a thumbs up with your good hand.

“Nice job, Naruto!” Sakura shouted in unison, pumping up a fist. “That’s my teammate!”

He waved back with endless energy, which made you chuckle. A small “hm” from behind you startled you, and you turned back to see Kakashi leaning casually against the wall. 

“Kakashi-sensei!” you said in surprise, turning to face him. “How long have you been there?” 

“Long enough,” he said mysteriously, snapping shut the pervy book he was reading and tucking it safely away in his vest. “For a ninja, you’re awfully unaware of your surroundings. I almost thought you were ignoring your dear sensei.” 

“Yeah, (Y/n), I had a whole conversation with him while you were right there!” Sakura said with a raised bow, hand propped up on her hip.

You let out a nervous laugh, waving your uninjured hand in front of you in an attempt to shoo away their suggestions. 

“I didn’t mean to ignore you, sensei! I just got a little wrapped up in the match, is all,” you say in embarrassment, sending him an apologetic smile. He merely chuckled, and pushed himself away from the wall. 

“Speaking of matches, I heard you won yours,” he said, placing a hand on your shoulder. “Good job. How is that wrist of yours?” 

Your eyes widen at his unexpected praise, but you shake it off in favor of his change of subject. 

“Thank you, Kakashi-sensei,” you say shyly, raising your broken wrist to show him. “I’m not exactly sure what’s going to happen, they said I have to go with them to the hospital after I finish watching the preliminaries.” 

“Very well,” he said with a nod, removing his hand from your shoulder and easing back into his position on the wall. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Naruto approaching with a small container in hands. Wasting no time, he popped the top and raised his sleeve, applying a bit of the salve to a stray cut on his arm. In the blink of an eye, it was as if the cut hadn’t even been there. You, Sakura and Lee stared wide-eyed at the spot where the cut was, amazed at the impossibly fast healing. 

“Woah, this stuff Hinata gave me works fast!” he said, childish wonder poking through. “Here, you guys want to try some?” 

Naruto extended the canister to the three of you, but each of you declined. 

“Okay, more for me,” he shrugged, putting the ointment in his pocket. 

As Naruto leaned beside you and Sakura on the railing, the next set of challengers was announced: Neji Hyuga vs. Hinata Hyuga. The atmosphere of the room shifted, but you weren’t sure why. 

_Who’s Neji?_

You and Hinata had been friends for a long time, ever since you joined the academy. You met her before you even met Sakura, back when she was bullied for her eyes. After some arguing, Naruto stepped in and took a hit that was intended for you, and the rest is history. You tried your best to include her in things despite her meek nature, and she thanked you for it. Since becoming genin, you’d grown apart as a result of spending less time together, but even so, you still considered her a close friend of yours. So, why have you never heard of this Neji guy? 

You look to Naruto and Sakura for answers, only to be met with the same confusion you felt. To Naruto’s side, though, you saw your bushy-browed friend grow stiff. Your eyes switched worriedly between your friends before looking to the arena floor where Hinata and her opponent, evidently Lee’s teammate with the sour attitude, stood before each other. 

“I never thought you and I would have to face each other, Hinata,” Neji said lowly, his body rigid. 

You could see Hinata shaking from your spot on the railing. 

“Nor you, brother,” she said softly. 

Wait, what? 

_Brother?!_

Luckily, Naruto and Sakura had the same question, which prompted Kakashi and Lee to give a rundown of the family drama. For whatever reason, Lee seemed to have a pretty extensive knowledge of the situation, which set the basis for much of the following fight. 

It became immediately evident Neji _did not_ like Hinata. Or, at least, he had some bad feelings about the situation that reflected onto her. The longer the match dragged on, the harsher Neji got, the angrier you felt for Hinata. His words were like knives, piercing her soft exterior until she dwindled before him. Her words mimicked those of your teammate, and you felt Naruto’s painful realization sink in as the match drew on; Hinata looked up to him. Despite her newfound resolve, in one fatal hit, Hinata was face-down on the concrete, unmoving. 

Hayate slowly approached her still form, clearing his throat. 

“Since she is unable to continue, this match is-” 

A shout from beside you stunted the proctor’s decision. 

“No!” Naruto yelled, clearly discontent. “Don’t end this match!” 

You shot him a sympathetic glance, while Sakura scolded him. He simply smiled down to Hinata, who was shakily rising to her feet. You could only stare on in wonder as she righted herself, clearly at her limit. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Neji asked Hinata’s slouched form coldly. “I can tell you’re hardly standing.” 

“I’m far from finished,” Hinata huffed out, taking a step forward. Neji scoffed at her.

“You’ve been carrying a heavy burden having been born to the main branch of the Hyuga clan,” Neji continued, his tone softer. “And you’ve cursed and blamed yourself for being weak. But look, people can’t change the way they are. That’s how it is. Just accept defeat and you won’t have to suffer anymore.” 

Hinata stood taller, shaking her head. 

“No, you’re wrong, brother. You’ve got it backwards,” she said breathlessly, a small smile on her lips. “You see, I can tell that you’re the one-- you’re suffering much more than I.” 

Neji went stiff again. 

“I’m what?” he asked incredulously, his tone scathing. 

“You’re the one who’s all torn up about the fate of the branches of the Hyuga clan,” she clarified, defiance in her tone. The angry growl from Neji set you on high alert, and when he charged forward toward Hinata’s weakened form, you couldn’t help but spring into action. 

You vaulted yourself over the railing as Kakashi, Guy and Kurenai surrounded Neji in a puff of smoke, arms extended as they restrained him. Neji’s words sounded bitter as he questioned their intervention, but you paid him no mind as you ran towards Hinata’s fading figure hunched over in pain. Crouching, you caught her as her body went limp, sneaking a hand behind her head before it crashed to the floor. Your friends must have followed, because as you cradled her head with your hands, Naruto, Sakura and Lee approached in a sprint. 

Naruto crouched beside Hinata, watching her carefully as she mumbled something you couldn’t quite catch. As her eyes drifted shut, a sense of alarm filled you. 

_Oh, no. She’s not… dead, is she?_

Your wide eyes met Naruto’s in shared panic as Kurenai joined her student, placing a hand on her arm. Tears you refused to shed burned your eyes as a familiar voice spoke up. 

“Hey you, loser,” Neji started, sounding annoyingly smug as he looked in your direction. It took you a second to realize he was talking to Naruto. “I’ve got two pieces of advice for you. First of all, if you intend to call yourself a shinobi, stop that stupid cheering of yours. It’s disgraceful. And second, once a failure, always a failure. You can’t change that.” 

Naruto let out his signature determined smile as he rose to his feet. 

“We’ll just see about that,” he said competitively, eyeing the boy. 

Neji’s patronizing smirk was the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

Naruto rushed forward angrily, readying himself for a fight. A flash of green appeared beside him, holding him back as a set of three kunai went flying overhead. Guy sensei extended an arm outward from beside Neji, narrowly catching the kunai between his knuckles like some sort of taijutsu Wolverine seconds before they made contact. 

Naruto, Lee and Neji’s heads turned to the culprit, eyes landing on your extended arm. You simply kept your eyes trained on the cocky Hyuga, hoping that some part of him could sense your unyielding anger. 

“Talk about disgraceful,” you spat out, eyes narrowed. “You should learn to mind your manners, kid.” 

Neji’s aggravating smirk remained, eyes returning to the Uzumaki in front of him, whose surprised eyes were slowly turning back to the Hyuga. Lee eyed the two of you carefully, then turned back to his teammate. 

Guy glanced at you with understanding disapproval as your hand dropped back down to Hinata, cradling her head fully again. You scolded yourself internally for your brashness. 

“Naruto, I get where you are coming from, believe me,” Lee said, tone almost grim. “But the rules say all fighting must be done officially in a match.” 

You listened to his words as you calmed yourself down, idly brushing a stray hair from Hinata’s eyes. 

“The loser beating the gifted genius through sheer willpower-- would that not make for an exciting match, even if I am the one who is going to have to fight Neji?” Lee asked, resolve tinging his words. Your heart grew heavy as you realized he was referring to himself as a loser. 

_Is that really what he thinks about himself?_

“Of course, if you ended up fighting him, that is fine, too,” Lee continued, unwavering. Naruto growled in frustration, but eventually his shoulders slumped as he shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“Alright, Lee, you win,” he said, turning back to face Hinata. 

A sudden cough of blood from Hinata broke the tension, and you felt yourself panic again. Kurenai unzipped her jacket, placing a hand to Hinata’s throat. You watched as a grim expression overtook her features, and she looked to Neji. Carefully placing Hinata’s head on the ground, you jumped to your feet and ran to the entrance of the arena. 

“We need a medic!” you shouted, only to be met with a group clad in white. You rushed back to Kurenai’s side as the medics clamored in behind you, readying a stretcher. 

“She’s got no pulse,” a medic said gravely, helping move her onto the stretcher. “She’s got ten minutes at best.” 

You looked on in horror as they carried Hinata away, and for a minute you felt like you might get sick. 

_That prick was_ trying _to kill her._

You sent a lingering glare towards Neji again before running off after the medics, slowing once you reached the entrance of the arena. You knew better than to chase after them into the infirmary, you’d only get in the way. All you could do now is hope Hinata is okay. 

_”(Y-y/n)-chan, where are we going?” young Hinata asked in confusion as you dragged her to the river’s edge._

_You giggle at her nervousness, shining a bright smile to put her at ease._

_“I just want to show you something!” you answer excitedly, squatting near the riverbank. She stood anxiously a few feet back, but you waved her over, pointing to the water._

_You brushed away the tendrils of hair whipped into your face by the warm summer breeze, squinting your eyes at the blinding sparkles reflecting from the water’s surface._

_Hinata crouched beside you, her frail hand clinging tightly to your sleeve. Her milky gaze followed your pointed finger to the two small blobs floating right above the surface._

_“Do you see it?” you asked, looking back to her. She nodded her head, a look of confusion still gracing pale features._

_“W-what is it?” she asked, scooting a little closer to the water. You turn your eyes back to the blobs floating idly in the water._

_“My mom said they’re pond turtles,” you explain, a small smile on your lips. “Whenever I come out here, I always see them together. I think it’s so they don’t get lonely.”_

_Hinata let out an understanding “hm,” casting her eyes downward. A comfortable silence settled over the two of you as you watched the turtles swim side-by-side, moving nearly in unison._

_“Why did you want me to see them?” she asked shyly, voice small. You smile at her words, looking back to her once more._

_“They’re kind of like us, don’t you think?” you ask, raising a brow. “Even if we’re all alone, at least we have each other.”_

_She let out a small gasp, but quickly nodded, smiling._

_“Well, what do you say, Hinata?” you ask, extending a pinky finger in her direction. “Let’s be friends forever!”_

_She stared at your extended pinky in shock, but soon took it in her own, much smaller one._

_“Forever.”_

A firm grip on your shoulder brought you back to reality with a jolt. You look back to see Kakashi looming over you, a stern but sympathetic look in his eyes. Behind him someone was mopping up Hinata’s blood form the floor. 

“There’s nothing you can do for her now,” he said gently, removing his hand. “We should head back up. The next match is about to begin.” 

After a moment, you shook your head, figuring he was right. He was gone in a puff, and you let out a sigh as you moved towards the side of the arena. 

Slowly mounting the stairs, you looked up to see the shinobi from your previous fight talking to Naruto. As you neared to top, parts of the conversation came into earshot. 

“You seem like a nice guy,” Kankuro said casually, gloved hand resting on his hip. “I like you.” 

Naruto’s face turned sour as he turned towards the cloaked shinobi. 

“Well, don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t like you!” he said definitively, turning towards the face-painted ninja. 

You couldn’t help the snort that escaped you. 

“Geez, Naruto,” you breathed in, only to let out another small fit of laughter. “Why don’t you tell him how you really feel?” 

Naruto looked at you in surprise, followed quickly by confusion. Kankuro just looked pissed off. 

“I just did!” Naruto whined, crossing his arms childishly over his chest. “Anyway, isn’t this the guy you fought? You shouldn’t like him either!” 

You quietly chuckled as you passed by the cloaked figure with subtle cautiousness, moving to stand beside Naruto. 

“Never said I did,” you smirked, locking eyes with Kankuro. “Granted, he probably should have-”

A cough from Hayate paused your train of thought as he announced the exams will proceed. After his spiel, followed by a reiteration of the rules, the next set of names were splayed on the board behind him: Rock Lee vs. Gaara. 

With a raised brow, you turned to Naruto. 

_Who’s Gaara?_

You weren’t given much time to question as a plume of sand swirled on the opposite side of the room, fanning out into the arena to reveal the boy with red hair from earlier. Just looking at him made you nervous, with his expressionless eyes and deep-set eye bags. 

A deep cheer from Choji prefaced a shout from Lee, who was kicking and punching the air down at the other end of the railing. From what little you could hear, he was explaining something about reverse psychology, but it was mostly drowned out by Shikamaru and Ino chastising Choji for being a chicken. You let out a laugh at the chaotic scene, and began walking back towards Sakura and Kakashi. 

As Guy leaned in to give Lee some last-minute advice, you waited patiently to the side, not wanting to intrude. Exiting from their makeshift huddle, Lee let out a blazing yell, front-flipping quickly over the railing into the arena. You couldn’t help but giggle at his excitement. 

“You can do it, Lee!” you said just loud enough for him to hear, earning a thumbs up from him mid-air. 

“Thank you, (Y-n)-san!” he responded with determination, landing gracefully on the arena floor before assuming his signature stance. 

Pointedly ignoring the Hyuga standing not two feet away, you settled with your elbows on the railing near Sakura, letting out a nervous breath. 

“I hope Lee will be alright,” Sakura said softly. You bumped her with your shoulder, sending her a warm smile despite your own anxiousness. 

“He’s got this,” you said more for yourself than her, locking eyes before turning back to the arena. 

You nerves set in full force as Hayate announced the beginning of the match, prompting Lee to rush towards Gaara to get in the first kick. Just as his leg was about to connect, a wall of sand arose from the gourd strapped to Gaara’s back, cutting the kick short. A wave of sand emerged from the ground, threatening to swallow Lee as he swiftly jumped backwards in a tucked roll, skidding to a stop near the railing. 

You and Sakura watched on in awed confusion as the sand funnelled itself back into the gourd. 

“That’s sand,” Sakura said in a daze, eyes still glued to the unfolding fight. 

“But… but how? How is he able to use it like that?” you ask in a similar state, good hand fiddling nervously with the velcro on your splint. 

Lee paused for a moment, seeming to contemplate his next attempt. As he ran towards the sand shinobi again, he twisted and turned, landing a series of punches and kicks, all of which were blocked by the sand barrier Gaara was creating. 

Drawing a kunai knife, Lee fought off the incoming waves of sand threatening to encapsulate him. But soon, the waves became overwhelming, a tidal wave threatening to crush him. He rolled and flipped backward quickly, jumping high into the air to aim a few shurikens at the red-haired boy. His attempt was blocked once again, and he set back to contemplating his next move. 

“Even as fast as he is, Lee can’t get anywhere close to him,” Sakura said uneasily, the gears in her mind trying to come up with a solution. 

“There’s got to be something he can do,” you said hopefully, watching Lee as he configured his next attack. 

A deep, raspy voice sounded from the arena. 

“Is that all?” Gaara asked, unmoving from his original position. “I hope you haven’t finished entertaining me.” 

You narrowed your eyes as his choice of words, disliking the implications. 

“We haven’t had enough blood,” Gaara added, making you freeze. The look in his eye, combined with what seemed like unimaginable skill, sent a shiver up your spine. 

_There’s no way he’s serious… right?_

Instantly a shockwave of sand shrouded the floor, moving toward Lee impossibly quick. He tried to dodge the incoming sand, but even his speed wasn’t fast enough as the sand encased his leg, whipping him around the room and slamming him into the wall on the opposite side of the arena. 

You involuntarily gasped, leaning over the railing with a clenched fist. Lee fell to the floor for just a moment before rolling out of the way of an incoming series of sand attacks. 

“I don’t understand,” Sakura said in frustration. “He’s only using taijutsu. Can’t he see that isn’t going to work? Why doesn’t he get some distance and use some ninjutsu?” 

Guy stood to the left of you and Sakura, looking as inquisitive as ever. 

“Yes, that might be a good idea-- that is, if he had any,” Guy said, looking out over the arena. A small “huh?” from you and Sakura prompted him to explain. “Lee has no ninjutsu or genjutsu skills at all.” 

Your eyes widened in surprise as you looked out over the ongoing fight, watching as Lee tried again and again to punch through Gaara’s defenses. 

“Oh, that’s nothing,” Guy said with a chuckle, a nostalgic looking overcoming his features. “You should have seen how hopeless he was when I first met him. No talent whatsoever.” 

“Really?” Sakura asked, still surprised. 

“That’s incredible,” you responded, watching as Lee dodged an incoming wave of attacks. “I mean, just look at him now-”

You sentence was cut short as Lee was sent rolling across the floor, a wave of sand claiming his body. You felt yourself stop breathing for a moment as the room grew incredibly still. 

_No way, it can’t be-_

A smirk from Guy prompted you to follow his line of sight. High in the air was a cannon-balling Lee, rolling backward toward the front of the arena and landing on top of the ornate hand statue. 

You let out a disbelieving laugh, watching as Gaara realized his prey had not been captured. 

“A ninja who can do neither ninjutsu or genjutsu is certainly a rarity,” Guy added, sounding proud. “Lee has only his taijutsu to rely on. But that’s what makes him a winner!” 

Guy’s subsequent outburst prompted a confused grunt from you and Sakura. 

“Take ‘em off, Lee!” Guy shouted towards his pupil, giving him a thumbs up. 

_Take what off? What is he talking about?!_

Lee raised a saluting hand to his sensei, seemingly puzzled. 

“Uh, but Guy Sensei, you said that was only as a last resort when the lives of very important people are at stake!” Lee responded earnestly. 

“I did!” Guy affirmed, thumbs-up pose only growing stronger. “But this is an exception.” 

Lee’s salute slowly dropped with realization. 

“Really?” he asked quietly, and then loudly with childlike excitement. “Really?!”

Lee plopped down cross-legged on the hand statue, hands reaching for his orange leg warmers. He revealed a set of leg weights, which he set to unfastening. Standing, he held a leg weight in each outstretched hand. 

“Ah, yes, I can move more freely now!” he said, releasing the weights. The remaining crowd watched as the weights plummeted to the ground, unprepared. 

Suddenly, the room shook, and a cloud of dust surrounded the area below Lee. Bored expressions turned shocked, while others turned excited. You looked on wide-eyed, slack-jawed. 

_No. Fucking. Way._

A shout from Guy sent you reeling back to reality. 

“Alright, now go!” he yelled enthusiastically, pointing at Lee. 

“Yes, sir!” Lee responded in kind, seemingly disappearing from his spot on the statue. 

Suddenly, he appeared beside Gaara, kicking at an almost undetectable speed. This time, his kick was able to surpass the sand barrier; he didn’t make contact, but he was that much closer. 

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about!” you said excitedly to yourself, watching over the fight in awe. 

Lee continued to barrage the sand shinobi with hit after hit, each getting closer to its mark than the last. One particularly close one made Sakura speak up from beside you. 

“So close!” she said, clenching a fist to her chest. 

“I could see that Lee had no aptitude for ninjutsu or genjutsu,” Guy continued, laughing knowingly at your amazement. “So he skipped that and focused all his time and energy into developing his taijutsu. That way we turned his disadvantage into a blessing.” 

You smiled as you watched Lee circle Gaara at breakneck speed, the red-haired boy hardly able to keep up. Knowing how hard Lee must have worked to get here, despite the obvious setbacks, was inspiring. It seemed he truly wasn’t going to let anything stop him. 

“Now he doesn’t need those other things to win, because he’s transformed himself into the world’s greatest taijutsu specialist,” Guy said looking down proudly at his pupil. 

In his next move, Lee pushed himself upward in a roll, and came down hard with a kick to Gaara’s head-- and this one actually landed. The red-headed boy looked at Lee, bewildered as he came to a skidding stop a few meters away, a small smile fixed on his lips. 

_He’s got him right where he wants him!_

“Yes, Lee!” Guy yelled loudly from his position beside you, prompting a small laugh from you at his enthusiasm. “Let the power of youth explode!” 

You could almost see the fire in Lee’s eyes as he yelled right back. 

“Rrrrrright!” he responded, charging forward to try a number of near-invisible blows on his opponent. In a matter of seconds Lee managed to land another hit, one that sent Gaara skidding backward on the ground. 

“He’s just too quick,” Sakura said, excited. “That sandstorm can’t keep up with him. Lee, you nailed him!” 

You nodded along happily, sharing in her excitement. 

On the arena floor, Gaara slowly rose to his feet, coils of sand pooling around him. Small chips of _something_ began to fall from his face, landing on the floor in little sandy puddles. As he lifted his head, you could see what looked like a cracked facade peeling off, exposing his murderous expression. He wheezed jaggedly, sending a spike of fear through you. 

_Something doesn’t feel right._

“It’s like a shell made of sand,” Kakashi surmised quietly behind you. You shook your head slowly, idly agreeing. 

“That’s so weird!” Sakura said next to you, almost exasperated. 

You watched as sand swirled around Gaara’s unstable figure, seeming to replace the damaged parts of the shield. As the sand moved away, Gaara was back to his expressionless self. 

“Well, is that all?” Gaara asked again, mimicking his words from earlier. You watched as Lee calculated his next move, sending a questioning look to Guy, who nodded. With his sensei’s approval, Lee began to unwrap the bandages on his arms, allowing them to dangle at his side. 

Without warning, Lee bolted towards Gaara, kicking up a storm of dust around the red-head as he circled him. After obscuring himself in the dust, he rushed forward with a kick to the jaw, sending the sand shinobi upward, but not far enough. It wasn’t like the time in the forest or with Sasuke-- Lee had to deliver kick after kick in an attempt to get Gaara off the ground. You felt Guy tensing harshly beside you, but you couldn’t take your eyes from the fight. 

Eventually the two were suspended in air, nearly touching the ceiling as Lee wrapped Gaara in his bandages. He angled himself and Gaara towards the floor, spinning unprecedentedly fast as they plummeted towards the ground in a move you knew well enough from past experience.

“Primary Lotus!” Lee shouted as they barrelled towards the ground. 

The two hit the floor in a devastating crash, Lee releasing his opponent at the last moment to prevent self-inflicted damage. As Lee jumped backward, he watched the dust-filled crater with heaving breaths. 

As the dust cleared, the match finally came back into view. In the center of the crater laid Gaara, wide-eyed with his sand armor cracked seemingly beyond repair. 

“It is over,” Lee said, eyeing his opponent. “I got him!” 

You heard Guy and Sakura break into cheers beside you, but you didn’t feel right celebrating yet. There was no way this fight would be over that easily. 

And as much as you didn’t want to be, you were right. As Hayate approached the corpse of the sand shinobi, a small crack resounded throughout the room. The crack gave way to the collapse of what appeared to be a sand shell, which rapidly lost color as it deteriorated. 

“But how?” Guy asked himself, staring dumbfoundedly at the scene. “When did he do it?”

“It was when you closed your eyes to pray,” Kakashi answered smoothly. “At that moment, Lee closed his eyes too, because of the pain. That’s when he did it.” 

You sighed, repositioning yourself on the railing. 

“Dang,” you said in resignation, watching as Gaara’s sand clone caved in on itself. “He was so close, too.” 

Lee panted and heaved in the arena, eyes watching Gaara’s sand body intently. You gasped as you saw sand rising from the ground behind him. An outstretched hand was all you could see of Gaara’s form, shrouded mostly by sand. As Lee turned to see it for himself, the look of terror across his face made your heart sink; that can’t be good. 

Suddenly, Gaara’s sand dispersed, whipping around him in large tendrils as a rush of air blew through the room. Wave after wave of sand affronted Lee as he tried to gain his bearings, one particularly strong one sending him sliding across the floor. You watched helplessly as he tried to get to his feet, his legs giving out with each attempt. 

In a matter of seconds, Lee is sent flying by a tsunami of sand, slamming him into the wall opposite you. Your mind urges him to move as another blast of sand slams into the wall, and you’re all but paralyzed as you watch the next few blows land. Your hand rests tensely over your mouth in a poor attempt to hide your growing shock. 

“I don’t understand,” Sakura starts from beside you, looking back and forth between Guy and Kakashi. “With his speed, Lee should easily be able to dodge Gaara’s attacks. So why isn’t he?” 

“He would, but he can’t,” Guy said simply, his tone of voice noticeably more grim than before. 

“What do you mean?” Sakura asks again, pressing harder. 

You answer before you even know what you’re saying. 

“He’s exhausted,” you say quietly, eyes still drawn to the scene unfolding before you. The knot forming in your gut only grows as Gaara continues to barrage Lee with sand. 

You see Kakashi nod out of the corner of your eye. 

“Right. The Lotus is what you’d call a double-edge sword,” he explains patiently. “It’s a forbidden jutsu. Why do you think that is?”

Sakura thought for a moment, but came up short. 

“The Lotus isn’t genjutsu or ninjutsu,” Kakashi continued. “It puts a tremendous amount of strain on the body. No one can sustain it for long. Right now, Lee is in so much pain he can hardly move at all. Isn’t that right, Guy?” 

Your feel yourself cringe at the thought, hand gripping the railing tightly. 

_Lee can’t take much more of this._

“But, but that means-” Sakura starts, only now starting to share in your panic. 

The clearing of sand cuts your conversation short, as Lee finally emerges from a large crater formed in the wall behind him as a result of the sand attacks. Gaara is relentless, though, quickly sending another wave of attacks his way. Lee does his best to dodge them, but he’s noticeably slower, staying low to the ground. Eventually Lee manages to clamor to his feet, dodging a few attacks before inevitably being thrown back onto the ground with a yell, face-down, almost motionless. 

It takes your mind to places you’d been trying hard to forget. 

_“Well, now I’m just going to have to take care of you, little girl,” one of the sound ninja says menacingly, charging forward at you._

_“No!” Lee shouts, jumping from his crouched position and pushing you out of the way._

_In a heap, he falls to the ground, motionless._

You shake your head harshly, shooing the thoughts from your mind again and ignoring the annoying sting of unshed tears. You have to pay attention to the match. A strange, devilish giggle pulls you from your thoughts. 

“What good do you think that will do?” Gaara asks menacingly, back to you. Lee is in front of him, hands poised defensively, ready for another attack. 

Farther down the railing, you hear Kankuro say something about Lee giving up while he’s ahead. Guy seems to take issue with that. 

“In that case, it seems Gaara is in for a long match.” he said, watching the fight carefully. “Because Lee doesn’t know how to give up.”

Unsurprisingly, Gaara attacks again, pushing Lee backwards with another painful yell. Each time he falls, it takes him longer to get back up. Sakura seems to notice too. 

“He can’t go on,” she pleads tearfully, turning to Guy. “Make him stop before he gets himself killed!” 

You merely keep your eyes trained on the match, hoping, praying he finds a way out of this. 

_Please, Lee. I know you’ve got it in you!_

As if he heard you, Lee dodges the next round of attacks at his usual breakneck speed. You let out a breathless laugh, a disbelieving smile shining once more. 

“He did it!” you say to yourself, amazed at his resilience. 

“He’s smiling! He’s running for his life, but he’s still smiling!” Sakura exclaimed, placing a hand on your shoulder excitedly. 

“Yes, but now it’s Gaara’s turn to run,” Guy says mysteriously, grinning at his pupil. You and Sakura turn to him in unison, silently asking for clarification. “The Leaf Village Lotus blooms twice.” 

You furrow your brows in confusion, gaining nothing from his increasingly vague words, but it seems to strike a chord with Sakura. 

“I’ve heard that somewhere,” she ponders aloud. “Oh yeah, Lee told me that!” 

You shrug. That must have happened after you blacked out from the fight. 

Suddenly Kakashi speaks up from behind you. 

“But- no, Guy, you didn’t-” he says, sounding alarmed. 

“Yes, Kakashi, I did,” Guy says, cutting off your sensei. Kakashi stiffens. 

“So that genin, that boy, is able to open the Eight Inner Gates and use the Hidden Lotus?” Kakashi asks dangerously, eyes narrowed. You grew increasingly uncomfortable at the rising tension between the two. 

“That’s correct,” Guy answered shortly, eyes trained on his pupil. 

“Well, if that isn’t the most-” Kakashi starts, letting out a frustrated grunt. You exchange a nervous glance with Sakura. “Okay, so how many of the Inner Gates is he able to open now?” 

“Five gates,” Guy answered once more. Sakura finally got fed up with being confused, and asked the question you and Neji, the boy whose presence you’d been intentionally ignoring, wanted answered. 

Kakashi explained that there are gates along the chakra network where chakra is most heavily concentrated, starting at the head with the Gate of Opening, Life, Rest, Pain, Closing, Joy, Shock and Death. The gates are intended to limit the amount of chakra flowing to the body, but the Lotus forces these gates open, exponentially increasing a person’s strength, possibly at the cost of one’s life. 

A brief spat between Kakashi and Guy made you turn around and watch the fight again, not liking the strain brewing between the two. It made you more nervous than you already were, which you didn’t think was possible. 

As if on cue, wind began to blow upward from seemingly nowhere around Lee, surrounding him as he held his arms in front of him defensively. You watched in shock as his eyes grew dark, veins protruding from his skin as if they’re bursting from pressure. A blue glow emerged from his body, surrounding him much like the cyclone of wind. As he pushed his arms downward forcefully, you could see his eyes had lost their pupils, and his skin was tinged red, teeth bared. 

As he forced open one gate after another, he shouted louder and louder, and the light from his body grew stronger. Now, alongside the blue glow was a green glow, enhancing his silhouette. 

With his Fourth Gate open, Lee jumped into action. Faster than ever, he kicked up boulders from the ground, sending high-speed winds out towards the railings. In the midst of the dust, you could see him throw Gaara into the air. He was still for just a moment, then, out of nowhere, began to bounce around the room rapidly. You couldn’t see him, but Lee must have been causing it. 

Every now and then you’d catch a glimpse of Lee-- you could see blood dripping from his nose, and the difficult time he had forming any kind of movement with his hands.

 _Is this supposed to happen?_

In what felt like the blink of an eye, Lee was sending Gaara rocketing to the ground. The force of the impact sent huge rocks flying upward, along with clouds of dust and rock shards. You shielded yourself as best you could with your arms, just as you saw everyone else do the same. 

As the dust cleared, you could see Lee rolling sideways off to the edge of the arena, landing on his back with a thud as he caught his breath. 

_Did he finally win?_

On the opposite side, Gaara laid in a capsule of sand, his breathing ragged. He was trembling horribly as he reached an arm out towards Lee’s exhausted form. 

You watched in horror as a hand made of sand began to take shape in front of Gaara. 

“Oh, no…” you muttered breathlessly, heart rate picking up. 

Lee’s tired eyes caught sight of the hand, prompting him to try and get to his feet. But each time he tried, he would fall pitifully on the ground; as a last resort, he began crawling, looking back in exhausted panic as Gaara’s sand grew closer and closer. 

Despite his efforts, Lee was unable to move in time; quickly, the sand surrounded his left arm and leg. He tried frantically to escape, even managing to stand as the sand began to harden. His desperate screams rang throughout the arena, and you don’t think you’ve ever felt more helpless. 

“Sand Coffin,” Gaara rasped out from his place on the ground, his fist clenching tightly. 

The gut-wrenching scream that came from Lee sends your unshed tears flowing free, and for a moment, you’re frozen in time, watching in slow motion as his limp body is pushed along the floor by sand. 

All you can think about is the forest. 

You hear his scream echoing, ricocheting throughout your brain, growing louder with each reverberation.

_No, no, no, no! Go away! Please, just go away!_

You bring your hands up to your ears and shut your eyes tight to try and force it out, make it go away, but it won’t. It can’t. It’s inside your head. 

And then, in an instant, everything is set back in motion. You force open your eyes, slowly guiding your hands back down to your sides. You’re watching real-time as an impossibly large wave flows towards Lee’s motionless figure, and still, you can’t do anything. You can’t help him at all. 

Once again, you’re useless. 

Just as the wave is about to crash, it’s stopped. By what, you’re not sure, but as the sand dissipates, you see none other than Guy, poised defensively in front of his young pupil. 

Gaara’s hands begin to shake as he clutches his head, seemingly in pain. 

“But why?” he asks quietly, almost to himself. “He failed.” 

“Because…” Guy begins, trailing an eye to the boy behind him. “Because he’s… because he’s my student. And also because he is precious to me.” 

Gaara looks on in what you assume is the closest thing to confused he can muster, and begins to stand, sand reforming into the gourd on his back. 

“I quit,” he mutters, walking off towards the railing. 

Hayate stutters in confusion, watching as the red-haired boy makes his leave. 

“The win-... the winner is-” 

But behind Guy, new heartbreak is waiting. 

You watch as a very injured Lee somehow gets to his feet, assuming his fighting stance. His whole body is trembling, blood dripping from his bandages. His eyes are dark, shrouded in exhaustion. 

_He shouldn’t even be standing._

Guy turns rigidly, almost fearfully, to the boy behind him, placing a hand on each of his shoulders. 

“No, Lee, it’s alright,” he says softly, reassurance lacing his voice. “It’s all over now. Anyway, you’re in no condition to--” 

His words are cut short, interrupted by his stunned silence. 

“Lee? Oh, Lee,” he says shakily, voice cracking as tears begin to stream down his cheeks. “What have I done?” 

Guy’s tears hit the floor as he sobs, taking another look at his pupil. 

Lee stood before him with dead, half-lidded eyes. 

“Look at you,” he said, tearfully. “Not even conscious and still determined to show the world what you can do.” 

_What does he mean “not conscious?” Does that mean he’s--_

Kakashi speaks up from behind you, confirming your fears. 

“He’s out cold,” he said gravely, pulling his headband back down over his eye. “The only thing keeping him up is sheer willpower.” 

On the arena floor, Guy is pulling Lee into a hug. 

“You’ve already proven it, Lee,” he cries, hand gently patting his head. “You are a splendid ninja.” 

You try and will your tears from earlier to stop, clenching so tightly to the railing that your knuckles are white. You bite your lip in an effort to stop its incessant trembling. You feel your body shaking, and you hate it. 

_Since when did I get so weak? Why can’t I stop crying?_

“The winner is Gaara,” Hayate states quietly from his spot on the arena floor, pitted between the heart-wrenching scene to this left, and the cold-hearted boy to his right. You feel Sakura grow restless beside you. 

“Lee!” Sakura exclaimes, moving to hop over the railing. Kakashi’s firm voice stops her in her tracks. 

“Sakura, there is nothing you can do for him right now,” he said sternly. “There are times when sympathetic words only make things worse.” 

Sakura took a moment to think about his words, and hopped down from the railing. Naruto, however, made his own run for Lee, just as Guy was gently laying him on the floor. Naruto watched in shock as a group of medics arrived, assessing the situation. 

As one of the medics requested to speak alone with Guy, the others moved Lee onto the stretcher. You couldn’t hear the private conversation concerning Lee, but from the expression on Guy and Naruto’s faces, the verdict wasn’t good. 

As the medics exited the room, Naruto broke under the pressure of whatever words he overheard. 

“Easy for you to say it’s over!” he shouted angrily, turning to the medics. “What about Bushy Brow? What’s he supposed to do now?!”

Fresh tears sprang at the implication of his words. 

_Did they say he’d have to stop fighting?_

Some deep, twisted part of you felt responsible, and you weren’t quite sure why. 

“Failure! I thought you were going to show how a failure can-” Naruto started, and you could tell he was close to crying. “It was all a lie, wasn’t it? It was-” 

Kakashi appeared behind Naruto suddenly, placing a hand over his mouth with words you couldn’t quite catch. 

“But, Sensei, it’s not fair,” Naruto shouted, breaking free of his sensei’s hold. “All he ever wanted to do was prove himself against Sasuke and Neji.” 

Kakashi responded with what sounded like comforting sentiments, quieting the rambunctious boy. 

You sniffled, turning to the side to discreetly wipe away the fresh tears forming in your eyes. 

Sakura looked at you worriedly, placing a hand on your shoulder. 

“(Y/n), are you okay?” she asked in concern, her voice soft. 

You move slightly away from her touch, settling down on the railing again. 

“Yeah,” you respond shortly, hoping she’ll drop it. Luckily, she takes the hint. 

Not long after, the rest of your team and Guy join you back up on the rafters. 

As the two remaining competitors, Choji and that guy you battled in the forest, approached the arena, your mind wandered, eyes staring at nothing on the other side of the room. 

It stayed that way until the match was over, and the details about the finals were announced; Sakura had to snap you out of it to tell you it was time to see the medics. You nodded blankly, walking slowly with her down the steps of the rafters. Out of nowhere she produces your backpack from the forest, and you take it with a small “thanks,” slipping it on carefully. 

“Everything okay?” she asks meekly, seemingly afraid to bring up your despondentness again. 

You think for a moment, pondering if you should let her know what’s on your mind. In the end, you decide that if anyone should know, it’s her. She was there with you, after all. 

“...Yeah, I’m just…” you trail off, picking your words carefully. “Just thinking about the forest, is all.” 

She lets out a quiet “hm,” and the two of you continue in silence as you reach the in-house infirmary. 

“Well, let me know what they say about your wrist,” she says, tired eyes meeting yours. You let out a small smile as you go your separate ways. 

“I will,” you reassure her, waving as you depart. 

As you step into the doors of the infirmary, a familiar set of eyes meet your own. 

“Glad to see you remembered,” your medic from earlier said happily, eyes looking down to your wrist. “If you’re all set, we can head out. The last emergency team headed out about thirty minutes ago, so it’ll just be us.”

You nodded, readjusting your backpack. 

_That must have been when they sent Lee._

As you and the medic made your way out of the building and through the treetops, your mind was anywhere but where it needed to be. 

_I wonder how Hinata and Lee are doing?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one was....... incredibly too long and i couldn't figure out a good way to split it up. but, here you go!! sorry for any typos this took like six hours and i'm tired of looking at it unu


	12. What’s the Wrist of it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A boring, yet unsettling trip to the doctor. Is Kakashi-sensei hiding something?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a boring filler chapter about your wrist 
> 
> enjoy!

The night was eerily still as you approached Konoha Hospital. The medical ninja who tended to your wounds before was now leaps ahead of you, steadily pushing towards his destination. You, however, lagged behind, bogged down by the questions of _what if_. 

What if Lee hadn’t been hurt in the forest trying to protect you? What if Gai hadn’t intervened? What if Lee had died? 

_Would it have been your fault?_

Your mind flashes back to an unconscious Lee standing shakily to his feet, running only on his will to persevere. The hollow, lifeless look in his eyes. 

It sends a shiver down your spine. 

Then, your mind goes to Hinata. A long-lost friend pitted against an enemy you didn’t even know existed. Ultimately, you felt guilty; after years of being attached at the hip, the two of you drifted off on your own separate ways. And now, at the thought of losing her, you had so much to say. 

Does she remember that time near the river when you said you’d be friends forever? Or, what about that time the two of you got caught in the rain on your way home? You remember how the two of you laughed, sopping wet, as you waited out the storm under a shop canopy. Her eyes still held that same sparkle, but it was much dimmer now. 

How much had happened in the time you spent apart? 

Truly, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t your place to know. But still, the gnawing questions overtook your mind as you watched the backside of the medical ninja drifting even farther ahead of you, a white blip in the distance. 

Exhaling heavily, you turned your eyes forward with determination. Worrying wouldn’t do anyone any good now-- you just needed to get to the hospital, and you’ll feel it out from there. 

And soon enough, the hospital came into view, the white blip of a medical ninja now growing larger and more human-like by the second. As you exited the cover of the trees, you carefully landed near the front entrance of Konoha Hospital, steadying yourself on your good hand as your feet hit the ground (rather loudly, you might add-- evidently the exams took more out of you than you thought). 

The man in white turned to you, eyes scanning over your tired form. 

“Glad to see you caught up,” he said, slight humor peeking through his otherwise exhausted tone. 

You chuckled half-heartedly, rising to your feet. 

“Sorry, just tired,” you answered quietly, nerves getting the better of you as you glanced at the hospital doors. Thoughts of the worst possible scenarios danced around in your head. 

As the medical ninja walked towards the entrance, your eyes roamed anxiously over the building. What could be waiting inside? 

“Please follow me,” the ninja said, turning back to face you as he held open the glass door. Nodding your head, you shook yourself out of your thoughts, walking quickly to meet him. As you entered, the harsh fluorescent lights made you wince, and the stagnant, clinical smell of the hospital assaulted your nostrils. 

To the right of you was a front desk, while a waiting area was to your left. The hospital looked pretty empty, and sounded even emptier. You could vaguely hear the shuffling of papers and the _swish_ of cloth-on-cloth in the distance. It felt eerie, almost.

If nothing else, it made the pain in your wrist more apparent. On the way here, there was something to occupy your thoughts, but now, in the unsettling silence of the hospital, there was nothing. 

You winced as your eyes found a very interesting spot on the floor, foot scraping unconsciously on the cream-colored tiles. Hopefully this would be over soon. 

The curly-haired nurse at the desk smiled calmly as she spoke with the ninja, words stopping short of your ears. She gestured somewhere to the side of her, and with a nod, the ninja turned back to face you. 

“Right this way,” he said over his shoulder, walking ahead before you could give any sort of response. 

You raised your head, giving the nurse at the desk a courteous smile before following swiftly behind the ninja. After a few turns here and there, he gestured to an unassuming door to your left. Room 134. 

Reaching past you, he pushed the door open, flipping on the light switch to reveal a plain, white room with plain, white furniture. On the far wall was a window with the blinds drawn over the impending night, while two beds adorned the center of the room, a white privacy curtain half-drawn between them. 

The medical ninja walked into the center of the room, gesturing to the bed. 

“You’ll wait for the doctor here,” he said plainly, now eyeing a set of clothes on the bed. “You’re free to change into this as you wait, if you’d like something clean.” 

You nodded, eyes scanning over the room as you stepped inside. A tense quiet settled in the room, and you couldn’t help but wonder where the bright, charismatic nurse from earlier went. Perhaps he was just as tired as you. 

“Is there anything else I can help you with before I go?” He asked, hand resting on the door. You thought for a moment, before turning to face him. 

“Actually, yes,” you said, looking into his obscured face inquisitively. “Can I ask your name?” 

The ninja looked at you hesitantly for a moment, as if pondering something, before shrugging. 

“I guess it’s only fair, young lady,” he almost laughs out. “Kenshin. Kenshin Matsuda.” 

You nod, bowing to him. 

“Thank you for all of your help, Matsuda-san,” you say sincerely, eyes glued to your shoes. “Please have a good night.” 

The medical ninja, whom you now know as Kenshin Matsuda, smiled gently to himself before moving to pull the door to. From the hallway, he spoke one last time. 

“There is no need to thank me,” he says modestly. As you rise from your bow to meet his eyes, he lets out one last smile. “I wish you the best of luck in your recovery.” 

You let out a quiet “thank you” as he closes the door, now left to your own devices. 

Slowly, you shuffle to the side of the bed, unfolding the clean garments. It would be nice to get out of your clothes, but you get the feeling you won’t be here all night. It’s just a broken wrist, after all. 

So, instead, you decide to climb in bed, resting on top of the covers. You place one hand behind your head, the other down by your side as you stare blankly at the ceiling. Soon even the static silence of the room dies down and you’re left drifting in space, suspended in what you assume is sleep. 

But all too soon, a knocking at the door wakes you up. 

The brunette head of a nurse pops in with a clipboard in hand, and begins messing with some of the items beside you on a counter. You aren’t exactly paying attention, arm resting over your eyes as you unconsciously try to get some more shut eye. It’s not until she’s tapping your shoulder that you jolt awake, sitting upright with a start. 

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she says apologetically, blood pressure device resting in hand. “I’m just going to do a few quick preliminary tests. Does that sound okay?” 

You nod, using your good hand to rub the sleep out of your eyes and pull back your hair. After taking your blood pressure, checking your breathing, asking a few questions about pain, among other things, the nurse leaves your room with promise of a doctor coming soon. 

And for once, the doctor actually did. 

A light knocking on the door signaled his entrance, followed by a kind smile. 

“Hello, (y/n). I’m Dr. Amari, it’s nice to meet you,” he says, bowing slightly to you as he rolls over a chair from nearby. His hair was salt-and-peppered, with crinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. He wore a dark pair of glasses, tying together his “I’m a doctor” look very well. 

“You, too,” you say back with as much kindness as you’ve got in you (which isn’t a lot). 

Dr. Amari clears his throat, adjusting his glasses as he looks over your chart. 

“So, it would seem we’re dealing with a broken wrist,” he said, nodding his head in understanding as he looked over the sheet. “If possible, we’d like to get a few x-rays.” 

Little did he know that was the last thing you wanted to do right now, but you relented, agreeing with his ~~demand~~ suggestion. After asking a few more questions, he stood up from his chair, and exited the room. 

Soon, the same nurse from earlier returned to lead you into their x-ray room. Due to the metal in your wrist brace, they made you take it off, which hurt horribly. But, hey, what can you do? 

And after a few painstaking x-rays you got to put the splint back on, which hurt almost just as much.

_Lucky me_. 

All in all, the x-rays took about 20 minutes, which felt like 20 hours. After the nurse led you back to your room, you had to wait once more for the doctor to return with your prognosis. All you could think about was sleep. 

But, soon enough, your beloved doctor returned, bearing x-rays and bad news. 

“Hello again, (y/n),” he said as he slid the door open, closing it gently behind him. After setting a couple of the x-rays up on a back-lit board, he pulled out a small, extendable rod, presumably used for pointing. 

“So, we’ve got some good news and we’ve got some bad news,” he began, making your stomach sink. “I’ll start with the bad news.” 

With a sigh, he lifted the rod up to the x-rays, pin-pointing a variety of small fragments surrounding your, as he explained it, “lunate and trapezium.” All you really knew was that it was part of your wrist. 

“Do you see these small, white pieces here?” he asked, looking at you expectantly. You nodded, and he continued. “These are abnormal, likely a result of the break. In order to heal properly, some of these fragments will need to be removed, and some re-positioned in their proper place. This will allow the bone to heal properly, and make future breaks in the area less likely.” 

You swallow thickly, aware of what he might say next, but certain you wouldn’t want to hear it. 

“But here is the good news,” he started, tone morphing into something a little more chipper. “This problem is easily solved with a simple surgery. It could take anywhere from one to three months to heal completely, thanks to our medical ninjas, but I can assure you, this is the best decision if you would like to continue your training as a ninja.” 

You let out a heavy sigh, resting your head in your good hand for a moment to gather your thoughts. One to three months? You only had one month to prepare for the Chunin exam finals. Could you do it? Or would you fail again?

Scrubbing the frustrated tears from your eyes before they could form, you looked back up to the doctor, who was now seated beside your bed. 

“Is there any way to speed up the healing process?” you ask impatiently, eyeing him seriously. He gives you a sympathetic look, signing as he set his clipboard down on the counter. 

“I’m afraid not,” he says, looking to you with sad eyes. “But, if you’re lucky, you may heal up in time for the Chunin final exam. That is what you’re worried about, correct?” 

You nod your head, eyes wide at his knowing. 

“I need to be able to compete,” you press, looking at him intensely. “When is the earliest I can have the surgery?” 

A chuckle leaves his chest as he leans over to flip up a page on his clipboard, seemingly checking something. 

“Well, you’re an eager one, aren’t you?” he laughs, adjusting his glasses again. “As it just so happens we have an opening two days from now. I know it seems sudden, but we like to keep some openings around the exam days. Would you be able to make it?” 

You nod your head, anxiety and determination welling simultaneously in your chest. At your confirmation, the doctor gives you a few details about the procedure and some preparation guidelines before sending you on your way to talk to the nurse at the front desk. 

You can’t help but feel like everything is happening really fast, but that’s better than really slow, you guess. 

As you take your tired strides forward, exiting the room, you hear the deep drone of voices nearby. Normally, you would have ignored it, but something about it sounded really familiar. 

As you casually walked down the hallway, following the sound, a familiar figure came into view; Kakashi was seated on a bench, back to the wall, reading his book. Beside him was Gai, head cradled in his hands between his knees. Realizing you might be interrupting something, you tried to turn around slowly, so as to not alert the two. Unfortunately, you weren’t so lucky.

“Ah, (y/n), I see you’re finished,” Kakashi says smoothly, closing and tucking away the book he was reading. At the mention of your name, Gai props himself up into a more socially acceptable position, wiping away what seemed to be tears. 

You felt like you were intruding. It made you nervous. 

“Um-yes, Kakashi-sensei, I am,” you reply quietly. “I’m sorry to interrupt, I’ll be on my way.” 

As you turn around again to try and leave, his words bring you to a stop. 

“That won’t be necessary,” he says, standing from his seat. “I came to check on you, after all. How is your wrist?” 

To say you felt shocked at his outright concern would be an understatement, but you were grateful, nonetheless. 

“It’s, uh… it’s broken,” you laughed out, trying to make light of the situation. “The doctor said it would need surgery, but it might heal in time for finals, if I’m lucky.” 

His eyebrow raised, portraying mild surprise. 

“Surgery? That must have been quite a break,” he comments, hands slipping into his pockets. Something about all of this felt weird, but you tried to ignore it. 

“Hm? Oh, no, it’s nothing,” you say, dismissively waving your free arm. “How are, um…” 

You trailed off, eyes searching behind Kakashi and landing back on Gai, who was still pulling himself together. 

“How are the others?” you ask quietly, lowering your tone so that hopefully Gai wouldn’t hear. If he did, he didn’t say anything. 

“Lee will be fine, although his injuries may cause some complications. The doctors aren’t sure yet how bad the damage was, but he’s stable,” Kakashi says softly, weight shifting from one leg to the other. “As for Hinata, her condition is still up in the air, but it looks like she is going to make it.” 

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, nodding at his words. 

“That’s good,” you say, smiling. “I’m glad.” 

“Me too,” Kakashi adds, allowing an odd silence to settle between the two of you. You awkwardly stifle a cough, picking at the brace on your wrist. 

“Well, I think I’d better head home,” you say, looking in what you think is the direction of the exit. “Thank you for checking on me, Kakashi-sensei.”

He nods slightly, slowly making his way back over to the bench. “Alright then. Good work today, (Y/n).” 

It takes you a moment to process his praise, but eventually you shake it off. 

“Thank you, Kakashi-sensei,” you say, slightly bowing towards him as he waves your direction. Although it feels the conversation is unfinished, you begin your trek towards the entrance doors. You make a stop at the front desk, confirming your appointment, before heading back into the dark of night settling over Konoha. 

As you left the hospital, something uneasy stirred within you, and you realized what made your interaction with Kakashi-sensei feel so weird. It was as if he was hiding something-- what, you’d probably never know, but still. It felt like a rock in your chest, sinking lower and lower with each step you took. 

_What isn’t he telling me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise i didn't forget about this fic lol!!! ! 
> 
> it's just been a really crazy couple of weeks. i also just started class again, so that's fun. anyway. i'll try to keep these coming as best i can! :)


	13. The (Sur)Jury Is In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader finally gets surgery after two painstaking days of waiting.

The next two days passed rather uneventfully. And aside from the worry plaguing your thoughts, you felt pretty okay. Your wrist hurt like hell, but there wasn’t much you could do about it with your surgery coming up. 

When you returned home to your parents the night of the Chunin exams, you of course told them about the upcoming surgery. When your mom asked about the cost, you froze. You hadn’t even considered the cost of the procedure, and for that, you felt stupid. But luckily your dad saved the day, chiming in that he’d pay for anything you needed. 

Good ol’ dad. 

So naturally, your father was the one who accompanied you to the hospital two days later. As you enjoyed your walk in the spring morning, a thunderous roar erupted from your stomach. You clutched it weakly, frown gracing your features. The nurses told you that you shouldn’t eat twenty four hours before the procedure, which made sense, but irked you nonetheless. You’d do anything for a rice ball right about now. 

Your father just chuckled deeply, a bag of your belongings slung over his shoulder. He insisted he carry it, given the condition of your wrist, but it made you smile nonetheless. 

“Sounds like someone’s hungry,” he says, mischievous sparkle in his eyes. “What do you say we grab something to eat?” 

You groan, knowing he’d offer something like that. 

“You know I can’t eat anything!” you say in exasperation, lolling your head lazily in his direction. “They told me not to.” 

He laughed again, adjusting the bag in his right hand. 

“How are they going to know?” he asks, voice lowering in an attempt to be covert. You laugh at his antics. 

“They’re doctors, I don’t know!” you say, containing your half-hearted giggle. “Plus, I’d know.” 

Your father sighs heavily, looking to the sky. 

“Where’d you get all that integrity from?” he questions seemingly to no one. “Must have been your mother.” 

You chuckle once more as the two of you fall into a comfortable silence. Your dad always had a way of lightening the situation. 

After a few minutes of walking, you were once again approaching Konoha Hospital. You led your father to the nurses’ desk, and the two of you followed as the same curly-haired nurse from the other day took you down the winding hallways of the hospital, and up a flight of stairs. She stopped at room 217 this time, pushing open the door and flicking on the lights to reveal a very familiar yet foreign room. 

After getting your vitals, the nurse left you and your father in the room, saying something about an anaesthetist coming soon. Once she’s gone, you and your father are left to your devices for a decent amount of time-- long enough for him to have explored every cabinet and drawer in the room and bathroom, mess up the blinds and nearly spill an entire bottle of rubbing alcohol on himself. 

He truly is one of a kind. 

When you hear a light knock on the door, you immediately pull the q-tips you were using as walrus teeth out of your mouth, hiding them beneath your crossed legs on the bed. You hear your father stifling a laugh in the corner of the room, rubbing a hand over his face in faux exasperation. 

The anaesthetist addresses the two of you with a curious stare, but gets straight to business. She explains that this was the room you’d be returning to after the surgery, and advised your father to put your personal belongings in a large wooden cabinet across the room. After a few more formalities were exchanged between the nurse and your father, she turned to you, explaining a few things about the room itself. The closed door closest to you was a restroom, and outside your room to the left was a nurses station. The operating theater where you’d be having the surgery was past the nurses station, through a set of double doors. 

You nod, soaking up the wealth of information she provided on everything from meal time to emergency protocol. Eventually, after asking if you’re ready, she leads you and your dad out of the room and down the hallway to the operating room doors. An expectant glance from the nurse tells you this is where you part ways. 

“Through these doors is the operating theater,” she explains, pen clicking against the clipboard in her hands. “Your father is welcome to watch from the viewing room during the procedure.” 

You nod in unison with your father, who is uncrossing his arms in favor of something a little more awkward. 

“Welp, looks like this is it, kiddo,” he says with a sigh, hands on his hips. “You sure you’re going to be okay in there?”

“I’ll be fine,” you laugh, shuffling awkwardly on your feet. “I’ve been through worse.” 

“Don’t remind me,” he mutters, arms opening wide for a hug. You oblige, stepping forward into his grasp for a short hug and a pat on the back. Stepping back, you look from your father to the nurse. 

“I’m ready,” you assure with a smile, watching her as she opened one of the doors. With one final wave to your dad, you enter the set of double doors, oblivious to his worried gaze. 

“The procedure shouldn’t last too long, but the cafeteria is on the first floor if you’d like something to eat or drink,” the nurse informs him, letting go of the door as she comes to join you on the other side. 

You’re in another hallway, not much different from the first. She walks ahead of you, propping open another door to your left. 

“We will need you to change into a hospital gown before the procedure,” she explains, hand waving you over. “You can change here. Please change out of everything except your underwear, and put your clothes into one of the bags inside. You’re free to choose from the available sizes of gowns --  whatever makes you most comfortable.” 

Looking into the room from behind her, there’s not much there. It seems like a glorified closet. 

“Alright,” you say, passing through the doorway. She closes the door behind you, and you’re suddenly left to your own devices. It’s lonely, in a weird way. You feel yourself beginning to get anxious, but push the feeling away. 

_No reason to be scared. They know what they’re doing._  

As you strip down, placing your clothes into one of the cloth bags in the corner of the room, your mind continues to wander. 

_But what if something goes wrong? What if they really can’t fix it, and you can never fight again? What if-_

With a frustrated sigh, you toss the bag onto the floor and turn to the various sizes of hospital gowns before you. Grabbing one that looks right, you slip it around you, tying the strings in the back. The fabric was thin and flimsy, not giving you much confidence in its coverage. You turn to get a look at yourself in the mirror on the wall, deflating a little. 

_Looks as unflattering as it feels._

Crouching down carefully to preserve your dignity, you grab your bag of clothes and shuffle awkwardly to the door. You’re scared to move too much, your socked feet sliding against the tile floors. 

Creaking open the door, you see the nurse leaned up against the wall, looking back at her clipboard. 

“Ready?” she asks, and you hum in response, scooching to meet her. She reaches her hand out to you, gesturing for the bag. “Here, I’ll take that.” 

You hand it to her, careful not to raise your arm up too much. She quirks a brow at your stiff movements, letting out a quiet laugh. 

“You can move normally, you know? Nothing will show,” she reassures, placing a hand on your back as she leads you through a metal door a few feet away. For whatever reason it leads you into another small hallway with a second metal door, adjacent to what looked like a set of lockers. A glass pane on the door allows you to get a peek at the inside of the room, which looked dull and not particularly inviting. The nurse sets your bag of clothes down in the bottom of one of the lockers, then opens the second door, ushering you inside.

The anxious feeling in your gut isn’t going away this time as the sterilized smell of the room invades your senses, the apparent coldness of the room suddenly making your skin prick. A single bed lay in the center of the room, surrounded by a variety of carts and devices presumably set up for your surgery. The rest of the room is mostly barren, save the decently sized window made of what you assume is a one-way mirror, judging from its reflectivity. Another set of doors are on the opposite wall of the room, probably a washroom. 

You stand near the center of the room by the table, feeling out of place. The nurse directs you to lay down on the operating table and you obey, carefully positioning yourself on top of the paper covering it. The erratic thumping of your heart is beginning to become more of an annoyance than anything, prompting you to take a deep breath to try and calm your nerves. 

Twiddling with your fingers, you crane your neck to watch the anaesthetist move about the room, exiting the room through the second set of mysterious double doors and returning with gloves. As she returns to the side of the table, you stare up at the ceiling, counting the tiles between lights. 

“Nervous?” she asks curiously, glancing at you between her ministrations on the cart beside you. 

“A little,” you admit shakily, wiggling your toes restlessly. 

“Don’t be,” she reassures you, messing with a machine beside you. She picks up a few patches on wires, straightening the cords. “This is a very low-risk procedure, and you’ve got a very skilled surgeon.” 

She asks you to untie the top of your gown for a moment, then places the sticky tabs on your chest. You listen as the heart monitor beside you begins beeping. As you lay back down, her hands reach to the cart again, pulling up a mask with a tube attached. 

“This mask is going to give you medicine that puts you to sleep,” she explains, pressing a few buttons on the machine again. “That way, you won’t feel it when I do the IV. It’s going to take a few minutes to kick in.” 

She asks you to sit up for a moment, then slips the mask over your nose and mouth. The tube connected to the mask rattles with the movement as she adjusts the mask, guiding you to lay back down. With the click of one more button, you feel the air start coming through the mask. It startles you at first, but you soon relax, finding a strange comfort in the rhythmic pumping of air. The nurse speaks a little louder so you can hear her over the machine. 

“I’m going to administer a general anaesthetic through an IV, which is a small tube we put in your vein to administer fluids,” she explains, moving around a few items on the cart. “It gives your body nutrients, and since we’re using anaesthetic, makes it so that your body doesn’t register pain during the procedure.” 

You let out a muffled “okay” from beneath the mask, readjusting a little on the table. As you stare up at the ceiling, you feel your eyelids growing heavy. Within minutes, you feel yourself nodding off, your nervousness from earlier fading with your consciousness. 

_Hope this goes well…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um. hi!! long time no see!! in all honesty, i don’t have a good enough excuse for why i haven’t updated this in like four months. but, i haven’t forgotten about it!! for these next few chapters in particular, it required a lot of research to try and figure out what this process would look like and for a while that kept me from working on it. but, after that, we’re back in regular story mode for the most part, so i think those should be a little easier to write! thank you all for taking the time to read this, and thank you for your kind words! they truly did motivate me to keep trying to update this.


	14. A Nightmarish Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader has a rude awakening, along with a physician's consultation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: blood, death

_ As you rouse, your slight movements feel groggy, almost like you’re underwater. Your throat feels raw. Crusted eyes peek open, adjusting to the dim light of the room. Not recognizing the walls, you shoot up in the bed, wincing at the ache in your arm before dropping back onto your mattress.  _

_ Oh, right. You just had surgery.  _

_ Leaning up more cautiously this time, you examine the hospital gown still draped over your body. It feels like it’s sticking to your skin, making it hard to breathe. It makes you feel claustrophobic.  _

_ As you move to toss the blankets off and cool down, you pull on the IV in your hand, making you grimace. Opting for the other hand, you stop to examine the white cast reaching from your hand to the middle of your forearm. It doesn’t really hurt right now, but you’re sure it will soon enough. Gentle fingers peel back the stifling blankets, eyes searching the room for your father. He said he’d be here.  _

_ Looking around, though, there’s no sign of him. Maybe it’s past visiting hours? Looking to the closed blinds, you see daylight peeking through. It can’t be that late. Maybe he’s in the hallway or something.  _

_ You slowly swing your feet over the edge of the bed, glad you still had on your socks to protect you from the cold floor. Taking a deep breath, you cough, suddenly remembering the acute pain in your throat.  Catching your breath, you slowly put weight on your feet, testing their stability. Looking to the IV pole at your side and taking hold of it for good measure, you put the rest of your weight onto the ground, using it for leverage. With a cautious step forward, you feel your muscles stretching, thankful for the movement. You take a few more steps, peeking into the restroom to make sure your father wasn’t there either.  _

_ With no indication of his presence, you decide to venture into the hallway, squinting at the harsh lighting as you approach the open door to your room. Reaching the threshold, you lean your head out, looking side to side. Only now do you realize the eerie silence of the hospital, void of human life. No nurses, doctors or patients. No one waiting in the halls or at the nurse’s station.  _

_ It’s odd. You’d call it a ghost town if that didn’t seem so morbid. Looking straight ahead, your eyes catch a spot of color through the glass window of the door. You stare in confusion for a moment, uncertain. That door wasn’t always there, was it? Perhaps you were still a little out of it. Looking closer, you catch sight of the color again. Green.  _

_ Slowly, you step out into the hallway, nearing the door. Peering into the window, you finally recognize the figure.  _

_ It’s Lee. He’s moving about the room, almost pacing back and forth. Unlike you, it seems he’s wearing his normal attire. He’s not sporting around an IV pole, either.  _

_ Without thinking, you knock twice on the door, watching as his curious eyes shift to the door. He waves for you to come in, stilling near the edge of his bed.  _

_ “(Y/n)-chan!” he says excitedly, eyebrows raised in surprise. You smile at his enthusiasm, carefully opening the door with your casted hand and standing in the doorway.  _

_ “Hey, Lee,” you say, voice cracking. Clearing your throat, you step into the room a little more, leaning back against the doorway to support yourself. “I’m glad to see you up on your feet!”  _

_ He sits down on his bed, hands resting beside him. Something felt off, but you couldn’t really place it.  _

_ “I would not get too excited if I were you,” he says ominously, eyes trained on you. There’s something odd in his stare, off-putting. You shiver. “This was all your fault, after all.”  _

_ Your eyes widen in disbelief at his words, wondering if you heard him right.  _

_ “I’m sorry?” you ask in confusion. _

_ “You should be,” he responds promptly, crossing his arms over his chest. “If I had not protected you in the forest, I would have been stronger.”  _

_ As you process his words, your eyes begin to sting, your throat tightening. In your heart you know he’s right, but you never thought you’d hear him say it.  _

_ “L-Lee, I am really sorr-” you begin, stepping forward. Your apologies are cut short by a sharp yell from the boy, who doubles over in pain, clutching his arm. Your hurt is temporarily forgotten as you draw closer, worried about his awful cries.  _

_ “Oh shit, Lee, are you okay? Should I call someo-” you ask in a rush, hand reaching to steady him. As you make contact, he lets out another harsh scream, falling to his knees on the floor in front of him. His hands clutch his leg now, which looks twisted and broken.  _

_ Just for a moment, the scenery around you shifts, and you’re back in the forest. He’s coated in blood, lying lifeless on the ground. Helplessness invades your thoughts, but before it can take hold, the scenery switches back to the hospital, and it’s like it never happened.  _

_ Panicked, you make your way to the door.  _

_ “Help!” you shout hoarsely, hoping someone will hear you. “Please, something’s wrong! We need a-”  _

_ Another yell sounds from the boy as you reach the doorway, moving as quickly as you can towards the hallway to find someone.  _

_ “We need a doctor!” you continue desperately, shaky feet leading you through the hallway to the nurses station. “Please, he’s hurt!”  _

_ A suffocating silence is all you are met with, your haggard breaths assaulting the air as you move onward. From his room down the hallway, you hear Lee groan loudly in pain.  _

_ “You did this to me, (Y/n)!” he wails, sounding much closer. Whipping your head around, you search for him, finding nothing. His next words sound as if he’s right beside you. “Because of you I will never fight again.”  _

_ You turn in circles, clunkily dragging the IV with you,  eyes moving rapidly as they try to spot the source of the sound.  _

_ “I’m sorry!” you cry out in response, no longer able to hold back your tears. They streak down your face, painting you in sorrow. “I didn’t-- this wasn’t supposed to happen and if I could take it back-”  _

_ “But it did happen,” a different voice says abruptly from behind you. The voice is familiar and soft, like angels weeping. Spinning around you see Hinata standing in the hallway, donned in her usual attire.  _

_ “H-Hinata!” you say in realization, moving towards her. Maybe she could help you. She’s the only other person you’ve seen. “Please, it’s Lee, he’s-” _

_ “What about me?” she interrupted calmly, her voice as sweet as ever.  _

_ “Huh?” you ask in confusion, face contorting into incredulity. You shake your head, ignoring her odd words. “What are you-- nevermind, Hinata, please, Lee’s hurt and I-”  _

_ “What happened to being friends forever?” she presses, cutting you off again. You were getting tired of that. Why wasn’t she listening to you? Worriedly you turned back to Lee’s room again, only to see a blank spot on the wall. Twisting around, you found no sign of its earlier existence, no sign of Lee.  _

_ The eerie silence of the hospital slips its way in again, and you feel your stomach drop. Just what the hell is going on here? _

_ “Look, Hinata, I don’t know what’s going on but I...” you scrub roughly at the wetness on your face, trying to make your earlier sadness disappear. “I just…”  _

_ Unsure of how to finish your sentence, you sigh, resisting the tears that threatened  to fall again.  _

_ “Why did you leave me?” she questioned.  _

_ Her words echoed, and as you looked around in wonder, you couldn’t help but notice the change in scenery again, this time to the semi-finals arena. Hinata’s form suddenly began to shake, trembling with some unknown force as a stream of blood escaped her mouth. She began coughing and sputtering, blood coating her hands as she suffered.  _

_ You watched in horror, unable to move. Blood trickled down her hands, onto her sleeves and then the floor as she hunched over, hands clasped tightly over her lips. Eventually, she became wobbly, toppling to the side without so much as a word. Her body stilled, her breathing evening out until it was dangerously slow.  _

_ It was the thunk of her body on the hard floor which broke you from your shock, prompting you to approach her frail body as you dragged your IV pole behind you.  _

_ “Hinata!” you exclaimed, crouching down carefully as you reached her. You tried to wake her up, shaking her roughly. “Please, Hinata, wake up! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. None of this--”  _

_ You cut yourself short with a hiccup, falling to your knees. You tightened your grip on her, your posture slouched in exhaustion over her form. As tears cascaded down your cheeks, you watched as they fell onto her hair, dribbling down to the ground.  _

_ “None of this should have happened,” you sobbed, resting your forehead on her shoulder. As your cries calmed, you took a deep breath, taking in the quietness of the room.  _

_ Out of nowhere, a hand gripped your cast jerking you forward. Looking down, you see Hinata’s lifeless eyes staring into yours. Moments before her unusually monstrous strength crushed through your plaster cast with ease, destroying your bones yet again, she said something you’d never forget.  _

_ “Sorry won’t bring me back.”  _

_.   . .    _

You awoke in your hospital room with a jolt, heavy eyes staring at the ceiling. The sudden movement irritates your throat, causing you to hack grossly into the air, curling to the side. Your father popped into your field of vision, concerned eyes staring into your own as he gave you a few pats on the back. 

“Whoa there, kiddo,” he said with a laugh. “Take it easy.” 

You waved him off with a final clearing of your throat, sitting up on your elbows. The familiar pain from your dream sneaks into your mind as you sense the stiffness in your shoulder and the grogginess in your movements. 

At the reminder of your dream, your mind flashes back to Lee and Hinata. You sigh, laying back down and placing your plastered forearm over your eyes. 

_ Thank Kami it was just a dream.  _

You push away thoughts of their screaming and blood, opting for something more lighthearted. 

“What time is it?” you croak, too exhausted to look around the room yourself. 

“About 3 in the afternoon,” your dad replies, checking his watch. 

Removing your arm from your eyes, you blink as your eyes adjust to the dim room. It reminded you a little too much of your dream, making you uneasy. You make a more solid move to sit up in the bed, wincing at the all-too-familiar pain. Looking around, you notice a few of your belongings are back in the room, along with what looks like something to eat on the table beside you. 

“How are you feeling?” he inquires patiently, eyes studying you. 

“Sore,” you manage, clearing your throat. 

Your next few moves are a little too familiar for your liking. But while you can ignore that feeling, you can’t ignore the need to pee that suddenly arose after being asleep for so long. You throw off the blankets, getting to your feet with the help of your IV pole. Only this time, your dad is hovering over your shoulder. The feeling of disorientation is much stronger now that you’re awake, but after a few moments, you feel confident enough to move. 

“Where you off to?” he asks in confusion, arms ready to catch you if you fall. 

“Pee,” you answer shortly, shuffling your socks along the cool tile floor. You hear him chuckle, muttering something about how “ladylike” you were. Ignoring him, you continue into the restroom, flicking on the light. Cringing at the sudden change in brightness, you stumble a bit, prompting a “you okay in there?” from your dad. You roll your eyes, mumbling “yeah” before stripping and sitting down on the toilet. 

Exhaustion settles into your muscles once more, and you groan, rubbing the palm of your hand down your face. The pinch from the IV annoys you again, and for a moment, you contemplate just pulling it out. Thinking better of it, you finish up your business and shakily rise to your feet, disregarding the floating feeling in your head. You catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror as you haphazardly wash your hand, toweling it off before patting down your bed head. Exiting the bathroom, you flick off the light, blinking a few times to let your eyes readjust. As you pass by the door to your room, you notice it’s cracked. Stopping for a moment, you peer through the crack, glancing at the other side of the hallway. All you see is a wall. 

_ Looks like there’s not a door there, after all.  _

Shaking your head at the bizarreness of your dream, you shrug at the look of curiosity from your dad. He stands by as you crawl back into bed, propping your pillows for you. You thank him quietly, eyes subconsciously trailing to the plate of food beside you. It’s as if your body suddenly remembers you haven’t eaten for more than half a day as it growls loudly, interrupting the silence of the room. Your dad laughs and you join him quietly, coughing a little. 

He adjusts the tray so the top of it sits over the bed, acting as a bed tray. He lifts the lid off the top of the plate, scooting it a little closer to you. 

“Eat up,” he insists, gesturing to the food. “We both know how you get when you’re hungry.” 

With a weak smile, you move to pick up the fork with your non-casted hand, flinching at the pull of the IV again. You sigh irritatedly, opting for your other hand. 

“When can I get this out?” you ask tiredly, raising your hand with the IV. He sends you a sympathetic look as he sits in a chair beside your bed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“The doctor said they might come take it out after you woke up, depending on how you’re feeling,” he said with a shrug, looking to the door. “They’ll be back in here soon enough.” 

You nod, picking up the cup of water on the tray and sipping from the straw. Poking your fork into a piece of fruit on your plate As you chew, the soreness of your jaw becomes apparent. You massage it absentmindedly while you eat, ignoring the scratchiness in your throat as you swallow. After a few bites, you begin to feel nauseous, opting for a pudding cup instead.    


You finish up your food in silence, listening to the ambient sounds of the hospital. It’s a comforting opposite to your dream. Two quick knocks on the door draw you out of your peaceful silence. 

“Miss (Y/n)?” a voice says, sliding open the door completely. A woman in her 40s wearing a white wrap around her uniform steps in, clipboard in hand. Her brown hair is pulled back in a simple ponytail, swaying with her as she walks towards you. “My name is Doctor Domen. I was you surgeon for this procedure.”

She steps forward, taking notice of your father on the other side of your bed. 

“You must be her father,” she assumes, extending a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

Your father stands, shaking her hand before taking his seat again. The doctor takes a seat in another chair beside your bed. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t meet with you beforehand,” she apologizes, looking at you earnestly. “I was caught up in an emergency procedure this morning.” 

“It’s okay,” you assure her, clumsily shoving the food tray away from you. Your dad picks it up for you, moving it off to the side with ease. You thank him before turning back to Dr. Domen. 

“I am just here to tell you about how the surgery went, and check on your condition,” she explains, looking periodically between you and your father. “I’m happy to tell you the surgery went very well. We were able to realign the bone fragments in your wrist, but due to the severity of the fracture, we had to install a titanium plate and screws to hold everything in place.” 

You nod, looking down to your wrist. You still couldn’t really feel much in the area. 

“Will I be able to feel the plate?” you ask curiously, inspecting your cast. 

“The plate is virtually undetectable,” she answers, looking down to her chart. “Now, I hear you’re a ninja.” 

Her tone is a little suspicious, her eyes narrowing on your form. You nod, suddenly nervous under her gaze. 

“I thought so,” she affirms, clicking her tongue. “That means you need to be especially careful during your recovery. I have a plan laid out here for you to follow, but it’s only tentative. We will adjust it as we monitor your progress. If you push yourself too hard, you may not reach a full recovery.” 

“Which means,” she continues, her expression serious, “that even if you aren’t ready in time for the Chunin exams, you’re going to have to accept that you can’t compete.” 

“You want me to forfeit?” you ask dubiously. 

“If you’re not fully healed, yes,” she confirms, leaning back in her seat. 

Tense silence settles over the room as you consider her words. 

“... But if I do what you say, I should get better in time?” you ask hesitantly, looking to the blanket over your feet. 

“I can’t make any guarantees,” she prefaces with a sigh. “But it’s certainly possible, yes.” 

You nod your head determinedly, locking eyes with her. 

“Okay,” you say with a huff. “I’ll do it.” 

She nods in satisfaction, turning a page on her clipboard. 

“Then let’s run through the details of the recovery plan,” she says, glancing to your father. He scoots closer to the side of the bed, listening intently as Dr. Domen explains the regimen. 

“You’re going to be held at the hospital for the rest of today and tomorrow,” she says, pointing to something on the paper. “This is so we can keep an eye on you after the surgery and make sure you’re adjusting well. After that, you’re free to go home, but we will need to do periodic checkups.” 

The doctor explains that motion and light use of the wrist are generally permitted around week 2, while it could take up to six weeks for the bone to heal fully. She did emphasize that everyone heals at their own pace, though, meaning yours could take more or less time. You were hoping it’d be less. You have three and a half weeks until the Chunin exams, after all. Could you do it? 

_ Maybe not, but I can try.  _

As the doctor runs through the rest of her spiel, you find your mind wandering to Lee and Hinata. Deep down, your nightmare from earlier feels like some sort of haunting premonition -- not that you were the type to believe in that sort of thing. 

_ But what if…  _

You sigh, trying your best to listen to your physician, but at this point it’s just going in one ear and out the other. She gives you a pamphlet on proper care for your cast as well as what movements are permitted after a certain amount of time, and inquires about your level of pain. After explaining some of your soreness, she says the  anaesthetist would be back in soon to check on you. 

“So I can get this out soon?” you point to the IV, sounding annoyed. She chuckles, as if she’d seen it a thousand times. 

“If you’re able to eat and the pain isn’t too bad, then yes,” she relents. “Any more questions?” 

When you shake your head and toss the question to your dad, he shakes his head too and the doctor nods, standing form her seat. 

As she moves to exit the room, you finally realize you needed to ask her something. 

“W-wait!” you half-shout, smiling sheepishly at your abruptness. “I just had a quick question.” 

The doctor stops in the doorway, eyes looking back at you curiously, prompting you to continue. 

“Would… Would you be able to tell me about my friends that are here?” you ask cautiously, unsure of the rules surrounding doctor-patient confidentiality. 

The doctor thinks for a moment, pen clicking against her clipboard. 

“I can’t give you specifics, but if you ask at the nurse’s desk, they should be able to tell you where they are,” she informs you matter-of-factly. After thanking her, she shuts the door behind her, leaving you and your father alone. 

“You have a friend here?” he asks, puzzled. You hadn’t really told him much about the competition, other than your narrow win. Maybe it’s because you felt guilty. 

“Yeah,” you answer hesitantly. “Two, actually.” 

He nods quietly, sensing you weren’t too keen on expanding. 

“At least I hope they’re still here,” you add, thinking. “If not, that means they might have…” 

You shake the thought from your brain, refusing to even consider it. 

_ Let’s not think about that. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so the amount of googling i did to try and figure out what the after-surgery recovery process is like was outrageous, and i didn’t get a lot of solid answers, so i apologize for any factual inaccuracies! next chapter we get our first real lee interactions since the fight!


End file.
